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INGERSOLUS 



CENTURY HISTORY 



SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

[BEING BOOK NUMBER TWO OF INGERSOLL S CENTURY SERIES OF CALIFORNIA 

\ 
LOCAL HISTORY ANNALS] 



PREFACED WITH 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 
A CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

1542 TO 1908 

SUPPLEMENTED WITH 
AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LOCAL BIOGRAPHY 



^ 



EMBELLISHED WITH VIEWS OF HISTORIC LANDMARKS AND PORTRAITS 
OF REPRESENTATIVE PEOPLE 



LUTHER A. INGERSOLL 

'I 
LOS ANGELES 

1908 



p^^ 



r1^ 



To the memory of the late 
WILLIAMSON D. VAWTER 

Foremost pioneer citizen in promoting 
the civic, industrial and moral welfare 
of Santa Monica, and whose life was 
an inspiration to noble deeds, this vol- 
ume of local history is dedicated by 
The Author. 






PREFACE 



THE publication of this book is in no degree an accident, but rather the 
partial fulfillment of a long-cherished plan to sometime put in permanent 
and fitting form the annals of some of the more historic and romantic 
cities and towns of Southern California. This ambition dates back to the winter 
season of 1888-9, when the writer arrived in the " Golden State ". became im- 
pressed with the transcendent richness of its past history and its abundant promise 
of future growth and history-making. What might have been regarded, at the 
time, a fancy, or inspiration, has. with the rapid passing of two decades, devel- 
oped into a vivid reality. Obscure hamlets have become prosperous cities; 
where then were open stock ranges and broad fields of grain, have sprung up 
marts of trade and commerce, environed by progressive and prosperous com- 
munities. Enough time has elapsed for these cities and communities to have 
acquired a historv, still not enough for any considerable portion of that history 
to be lost. A few vears hence, conditions in this latter respect will have entirely 
changed. 

The region of country of which this story treats lies within the original 
confines of four Spanish-Mexican land grants bordering the bay of Santa ^lonica 
and has hitherto received scant attention from historical writers. When the good 
works of Hubert Howe Bancroft and Judge Theodore H. Hittell were written 
the wonderful developments of the past tw^enty years had not transpired and the 
work of m.ore recent writers has been of so superficial a nature as not to be of 
special historical value. 

The writing of history is not the thought or work of a day, but rather the 
diligent pursuance of a fixed and determined purpose. The writer of fiction 
may work from an inspiration based upon fertile imagination; the newspaper 
writer is the chronicler of current events ; the descriptive writer of travel pictures 
that which he then and there observes ; but the historian makes a truthful record 
of the past, stating only that which has actually transpired. He indulges in 
no ideals, must be keen in discrimination, never self-opinionated or self-assertive, 
must be untiring in research, a faithful, patient, plodding gleaner of facts and 
an inherent lover of the truth. Lacking these virtues he is without his calling. 
The brief historv of California and Los Angeles county is herewith given 
as a preface to the local history in order that the reader may have a connected 
storv from the date of the discovery of the country. The state chaj^ers are, 
with the exception of some changes and additions, reprinted from my '" Century 
Annals of San Bern-rdino County, California (1904.)" The sketches of each 
of the twenty-one Franciscan missions of Alta California are adaptetl from 



PREFACE 

■' Missions and Landmarks ", a meritorious booklet written and in 1903 ixil)Iished 
by Mrs. Armitage S. C. Forbes, a zealous student and authoritative writer upon 
California missions and kindred subjects. 

The information utilized in the production of the history of Los Angeles 
count\- and the Santa Monica Ba}' Cities has been gleaned from numerous sources, 
prolific of which have been the works of Hubert Howe Uancroft, Theodore H. 
Hittell, History of Los Angeles County, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890, 
Resources of California, by the lamented Charles Nordhofif ; Reminiscences of 
A. Ranger, by Major Horace Bell ; California Blue Books, old maps and numerous 
old legal documents. Acknowledgments are due Editor D. G. Holt for the 
loan of complete files of his Saiifa Monica Outlook. Old files of the Los 
.lin^clcs Times, the Los Angeles FJcvaJd and the Ei'ciiiiig E.vprcss have all 
reflected light upon scenes and events of earlier days. Archives of the city of 
Santa Monica, of the city and the county of Los Angeles, have been freely drawn 
u])on. Files of old legal documents and old court records have been a great 
aid in shaping and verifying the histories of land grants. 

Uniform courtesv and kindness have been accorded me bv manv people in 
my quest for historical data, for which I am under special and lasting obligations 
to Judge J. J. Carrillo, E. J. Vawter, Hon. John P. Jones, W. S. A^awter, R. 
R. Tanner. Esq., Judge Geo. H. Hutton. Abbot Kinney. Robert F. Jones, L. 
T. Fisher, Miss Jennie C. Vawter, Miss Emma Vawter, Dr. John A. Stanwood, 
Miss Elfie Mosse, Col. G. Wiley Wells, Mrs. E. K. Chapin. Rev. J. D. H. 
Browme, Mrs. Laura E. Hubbell, W. L Hull, Mrs. May K. Rindge, J. B. Procter, 
S. W\ Odell. Rev. Stephen H. Taft. Mrs. Sarah L. Shively and W. B. B. Taylor. 
It afifords me pleasure to here make dre acknowdedgment of the valuable literary 
service rendered me almost from the inception of this work by Miss Rose L. 
Ellerbe. Her mental training and already wide experience in the field of letters 
have eminently qualified her for historical labors and I deem it fortunate that, 
in this w^ork, T have been able to command her splendid abilities. 

The biographical matter with which the general historical chapters are su])- 
plemented will prove a valuable feature of this work. It permanently records 
so much of the jx-rsonal experience of those wdio have contributed to the devel- 
opment of this country and have borne an honorable part in the direction of its 
public affairs as to constitute a fairly comprehensive encyclopedia of local bio- 
graphical reference. Much careful labor has been bestowed upon the com- 
piling of these sketches. The information has been gathered from published 
books, magazines and newspapers, by personal interviews with the subjects 
thereof, and relatives of those who have passed away. 

A somewhat rigid system of submitting these articles to persons from wdiom 
original information was obtained, has been jiursued, for the purpose of assuring 
accuracy. In doing this, use was made of the \J. S. mail. In some instances 
these sketches have not been returned to me corrected and in such cases errors 
may appear, for which I must disclaim responsibility. The printing of these 



PREFACE 

sketches has not in anv instance been made contingent upon the payment of 
money or in any other form, the support of my enterprise. Neither have they 
been written for the purpose of gratifying a desire of any person to appear con- 
spicuously in print. ] have stu(hously refrained from writing eulogies upon 
the lives of living people. Such form of alleged biography invades the field 
of commercialism to such an extent as to render it worthless as history. The 
histories of churches and frattrnal organizations is bv no means as complete as 
I desire, because the necessary data was not obtainable. It would have been 
impossible to illustrate this volume so liberally only for the public spirit of people 
who have in manv instances shared with me the burden of expense. The labor 
and money expended in the production of this book has been a secondary con- 
sideration, and to place in the hands of a reading public a reliable and dignified 
historical storv has been paramount in the author's mind. 

Luther A. Ingersoll, 
Santa Monica, California, Dec. ist, 1908. 













IngersoU's Century Series of California 

LOCAL HISTORY ANNALS 

PREHISTORIC. ABORIGINAL. SPANISH. 
MEXICAN, AMERICAN 

Century Annals of San Bernardino Co.. Calif. 

Century History of Santa Monica Bay Cities. Calif. 
Century Annals City of Monrovia and its Environs. 

L. A. INGE RSOLL 
Los Angeles 



"No community can claim to be highly en- 
lightened which is content to remain ignorant of 
its antecedents, or, in other words, ignorant of 
the prime causes that have made it what it is." 
— • H. D. Barrows. 



Contents. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

I. Discovery 3"7 

II. Colonization. Presidios and Pueblos 8-13 

III. The Mission Establishments 14-45 

IV. From Monarchy to Republicanism 46-49 

V. Revolutions and Secularization of Missions. . . ; 49-54 

VI. Free State of Alta California 54-57 

VII. Closing Years of Mexican Era 58-66 

VIII. 'Conquest of California 66-77 

IX. Transition from Territory to State 77-82 

X. Vigilance Committees, Growth and Prosperity 82-90 

Governors of Cahfornia 9^ 

Land Grants in Los Angeles County 9^-93 

CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY. 

I. Organization 95-99 

II. Stock Raising and Agriculture 101-104 

III. Mining and Manufacturing 104-107 

IV. Transportation and Commerce 107-1 1 1 

V. The Day of the Trolley 1 12-114 

VI. Cities and Towns 1 14-1 19 

HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES. 

I. Santa Monica Bay Region 121-13^ 

II. Laying the Foundations. 1870-1880 141-165 

III. From Town to City. 1880-1890 167-183 

IV. Growth. 1890-1900 185-209 

V. Expansion. 1900-1908 211-243 

VI. South Santa Monica and Ocean Park 244-263 

VII. Public Institutions 265-287 

VIII. Churches and Societies 288-303 

IX. Miscellaneous 305-3 ^ 5 

X. The City of Ocean Park 317-325 

XI. Venice of America and Its Founder. . . .' 3-7-337 

XII. Pacific Branch National Home for Disabled Veterans 33^-343 

XIII. Sawtelle. Palms 345-355 



General Index. 



Academy of the Holy Names 219 

Admission of California 81, 82 

Alarcon, Hernando de 4 

Alfalfa 104 

Alvarado. Pedro de 5 

Alvarado. Juan R 53, 55. 56, 57 

Anaheim, settled 102 

Anzn's route to California 10, 11 

Arcadia Hotel 168 

Arguello, Luis A., governor 46 

Artesian Water Co 226, 228 

Artesian well, first 103 

A. & P. Ry 89. no, 187. 223 

Atlantic squadron 243 

Annual Assessments Santa IMonica... 243. 

Baliona Junction 310 

Ballona Port 168 

Baliona Harbor Co 335, 336 

Ballona & S. M. Ry 171 

Baker. Robert S 142 

Bandini. Juan loi 

Bank, First National of S. M..173, 175, i&S 

Banning, Phineas 107, 109, 118 

Baptist Church 297 

Barrett Villa 347 

Battle, of Plains, 74 ; of Dominguez 
rancho, 69; San Juan, 71; San Pas- 

qual, 72 ; El Paso de Bartola 73 

Beach front dispute 152 

Beach Land Co 336, T,;i7 

Bean culture 233 

"Bear Flag" 64, 66 

Board of Trade 175, 202. 283 

Boca de Santa Monica, grant 136. 170 

Boom 1 10, III, 169, 246 

Bouchard, privateer 13 

Brentwood Park 240 

Bulletin. S. F 83 

Cable line 112 

Cabrillo, Juan Roderigucz 5. 6, 7, 122 

Cahuenga, treaty of 61, 75 

California, name 4 

Capitals, state 86, 87 

Carrillo. A. Carlos 55, 56, 18: 

Carrillo, Jose A 54. 61. 62 

Carrillo. Juan J 174. 180, 186, igi 

Carrillo, Pedro C iSi 

Carriage, first in California 106 

Casino 306 

Castro, General. .54. 56. 59. 61. 62. 65. 67, 68 
Cataliua Island 5, 7 



Catholic Church 292 

Cattle Raising, in California, 88; in 

Los Angeles County loi 

Chamber of Commerce, Palms, 355 ; 

Santa Monica, 283 ; Venice 334 

Census. Los Angeles County. 98, 99; 

Santa Monica 287 

Chapman, Joseph 13, 47 

Charter, Santa Monica. ...216, 220, 238, 239 

Chico, Mariano, governor 52, 53 

Chinese massacre 99 

City hall. Santa Monica.. 215. 217, 219. 22^ 

City Officials 286. 287 

City Water Co 251 

Civil War, in California 87 

Clay products. Los Angeles County. T05. 106 

Colton Hall 79 

Constitutional Convention 79. 80 

Coronado 4. 5 

Coronel, Antonio 96. gS 

Cortes 3, 4 

Court house, Los Angeles 98 

Crespi, Father Juan 18 

Cricket Club 307 

Discovery and Exploration, Santa 

Monica region 122 

Division of town, Santa Monica 

213. 227. 255 

Dolgeville 107 

Downey, John G 96, loi, i t8 

Downey, settled loi 

Drake, Sir Francis 6 

Drought, '57. IGI ; '62-3 loi 

Dudley. T. H 253. 257 

Earthquake, 1812 29. ^t, 

Echandia, J. M.. governor 49. 50, 132 

Eckert, (Bob.) 216 

Education, in California, 89; in Los 

Angeles County 98 

Election, first state, 80; first county.. 96 

Electric lines 113, 114 

El Monte, settled lor 

Episcopal Church, Santa Monica 295 

Expedition, first to California 8. 9 

Ferrelo. Bartolome 6. 7 

Filibustering 85 

Figueroa. Jose. 50 ; death 52 

First Baptist Church. Sawtelle 352 

First N. Y. Infantry ^76 

Fisher. L. T 169, 201, 281. 315 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Floral Festival 291 

Flour mills lOJ 

Foreigners, arrival, 47- 48; fighting. 

54 ; exiled, 56 ; residents 62 

Franciscan order 7 

Freighting 109 

Fremont, John C, entry into Califor- 
nia, 62, 63; dispatches, 63; at So- 
noma, 64, 65; raises flag, 66; major, 
67; lieutenant-colonel, 71; in south, 
74. 75 ; governor 76 

Galvez, Jose 8 

Garev. T. A 103. 116 

Gillispie, Captain 68, 69 

Gilrov, John 47 

Gold, discovery 11 • 78. 97 

Good Government League 216, 220 

Government, territorial l'^. 79 

Governors, list of, 94: from Southern 

California 97 

Grand Armv of Repuhlic 302 

Gulf of California 4. 5. S 

Gwin, Wm. M 79. 80 

Harbor question 190. 20T 

Hartnell. W. E. P 48, 79 

Hawe, Father Patrick 292 

Herald, S. F 83 

Hiiar and Padres party 50, 5^ 

Holt, D. G 282 

"Hook" franchise 223, 224 

Horse Racing 134- I35 

Horticultural production. Los Angeles 

Countv 104 

Hotchkiss, A. B 245 

Hull, W. 1 225 

Incorporated towns ^^ '5- 1^9 

Incorporation, Ocean Park, 318; Santa 

Monica, 169 ; Sawtelle 35° 

Indians 122, 123, 125 

Irrigation systems, Los Angeles County 102 
Investment Co.. Santa Monica 232 

Jayme, Father Luis 16 

Jimenez Fortuna 3- I 

Jesuits " 

xy Tones, J. P 144- 152, 157- "^ll- ^75 

Juez de Campo 96 

Kearnev, Stephen W 12, -JZ. 75. 1^ 

Keller, Mathew T02, 128 

Kinney, A 

'.170, 173. 197. 248. 257. 259, 2-ji, 127 

King, James 83 

La Ballona, grant i37. I39 

Land grants, list of 92. 93 

Land grants, Los Angeles County 96 

Larkin, Thomas 7 1 

Lasuen, Father Francisco 19 

Lawn Tennis Club 3^5 



Library 186, 271 

Library Site Fund, Contributors to... 276 

Long Beach 116 

Los Angeles County, created, 96; 

boundaries 96 

Los Angeles, pueblo, 11, 12; the cap- 
ital, 61 ; capture 68 

L. A. Co. Ry 174. 175. 187. 307 

Los Angeles & Independence Ry.. or- 
ganized, 144; built, 151; sold, 153; 

historv 308 

L. A.-P. Ry 

TT3. 114, 192. 193. 194- 197. 221, 255 

Lucas, Nancy A 244, 248 

Machado, Augustin. 137; Ygnacio, 137, 

138 ; Antonio 138, I39 

Mails, in Los Angeles County loS 

Malibu rancho 124, 129. 130 

Manufactured products, Los Angeles 

County 107 

Marquez, Francisco 132. 136, 137 

Martinez, Father Luis 27 

Mason, Gov 78 

Mendocino, Cape 6 

Methodist Church, Santa Monica 28S 

Militia Company, Santa Monica 196 

Militarv camps, Ballona, 139; Wilming- 
ton '. ' T18 

Mining, in California. 88; in Los An- 
geles County 104 

Mission establishments, description .. 14. 6t 

Moncada. Rivera y 9. 10 

Monrovia 1 17 

Monterey Bay 5, 6. 7, 9 

Monterey, capture of 57 

Mormon Battalion /b 

Mooney [Mansion 244 

Neve, Felipe de 10, 11. 12 

Newspapers 279 

North Beach Bath house 190. 210 



Ocean Park 

Ocean Park District, 1898, 2-:,2\ 1890. 
253; 1900. 254; 1901, 255; 1902. 21- \ 

1903 

Ocean Park 22"], 236. 249, 250. 252, 

Ocean Park, incorporation, 318; census, 
318; election, 319; Improvement Co., 
319; growth, 321; sewage, 321; li- 
censes, 322; values, 323; bonds. 324; 
postoffice, 324 ; City hall 

Oiled Streets 

Orange County 

Orange growing 

Ostrich Farm, Santa Monica 

Outdoor pastimes 

Outlook, Santa Monica I47. 



254 



259 
317 



240 

96 

103 

246 

305 
283 



Pacific Branch National Home for 

Disabled Veterans 338 

Pacific Electric 113. i M 



GENERAL IXDEX. 



ii6 



3T.S 
198 
108 



Pacific Land Co 347 

Palisades tract 231 

Palms 171, 352 

Pasadena ' ^5 

Pentecostal Church of Nazarciie 299 

Peyri. Father 4^. 43 

Petroleum, in Los Angeles County. .. 104-S 

Petroleum production 105 

Philippines, trade with 5. 7 

Pico, Andres 7-^- 75' K^5 

Pico. Pio, governor 60. 61, 67, 68. 117 

Pious Fund 5' 

Playa del Rcy 334 

Police department ^93 

Point Dtmie '-i 

Polo Club 307 

Pomona 101. 103, 

Population, state, 82. 83; Los Anodes 
County. T12. 1 14: city, 115; Santa 
Monica, 167. 1S5, 220. 287; Ocean 

Park 

Port Los Angeles 

Port, of San Pedro I07- 

Portala, Caspar de, first governor of 

California 9. 10, 123 

Postoffice. i85: Ocean Park 263, 282 

Presbyterian Church. Santa Monica... 290 

Presidio, description 10 

Prudhomme. Leon V 126, 127 

Pueblo. Spanish to, i r 

Purisima Concepcion. mission 34 

Quivera 5 

Railroads, in California 88. 8-) 

Rate war no, 168. 169, 170 

Raymond Hotel i t.t 

Reminiscences 312 

Redondo ii9 

Reyes. Ysidro 132. 1.36, I37 

Rindge. F. 11 128, 211. 216, 231 

Rowland. Col. J. 34' 

Rose. L. J 102. 103. 115 

Russians, in California 4" 

Ryan, Francis G 24S, 253 

Salt Lake line in 

Saloon question 195. 211, 216 

San Antonio de Padua 19 

San Bernardino County, 96; settle- 
ment TIG 

San Buenaventura, mission 31 

San Carlos, mission 9, 17 

Sanchez, Padre Jose P> 24 

San Diego Bay 5. 7. 9 

San Diego. Mission 9. 15 

San Fernando Rev de l^spana 40 

San Francisco Bay 9 

San Francisco de Asis 27 

San Francisco de Solano 45 

San Francisco, presidio n 

San Gabriel Arcangel 20 

San Jose, mission 36 



San Jose, pueb'o 11 

San Juan Bautista " 

San Juan Capistrano 28 

San Miguel Arcangel 39 

San Luis Obispo de Tolosn 26 

San Luis Rev de Francia 42 

San Pedro, bay. 5, 7; port, 107, 108; 

town n8 

San Rafael, mission 45 

San Vicente y Santa .Monica, grant. 

132; sale 142 

Santa Barbara, presidio and mission.. 

Ti. 12. 32 

Santa Clara, mission 29 

Santa Cruz, mission. 34; town 35 

Santa Fe Ry....iTO. 168, 187, 22^,. 248. 309 

Santa Monica Bay 1 2 r 

Santa Monica Canyon 141, 143 

Santa Monica Fire Dept.. 278 

Santa Monica. History. 1885. 167; 
1886, 168; 1887. 169; 1888. 173: 1889. 
175; 1890. 185; 1891. 187; 1892, 187; 
1893, 188; 1894, 189; 1895, 190; 1896, 
193; 1897. 194; 1838, 195; 1899, 197; 
1900, 211; 1901, 216; 1902. 230; 1903, 
224; 1904. 226; 1905, 229; 1906. 246; 

1907 241 

Santa Monica Hotel 175 

Santa Monica Incorporation 169 

Santa Monica Lodge No. 906, B. P. 

O. E .303 

Santa Monica, name. 123; legend. 123; 

settlement 124 

Santa Monica, street cars 

171, 176, 185, 194, 197. 309 

Santa Monica, townsite, 145 ; first sale. 
145. 146; first building, 146; first 

train 149 

Santa Monica Water Co 194 

Santa Monica Wharf & Ry. Terminal 

Co 179. 180 

Santa Ynez. Virgin y ^Martyr 44 

Saw'telle. historv 345 

Sawtelle, W. E 349 

School, first in state. 90 ; in Los Ange- 
les County 98 

Schools, Ocean Park, 322; Sawtelle, 

346, 348; South Santa Monica 247 

Schools, Santa Monica, bonds, 2:^7 ; 
enrollment. 270; history, 265; prin- 
cipals. 270 ; trustees 265 

Seal, state 8d 

Sewer bonds 

189, 192, 195, 196. 221. 235, 235. 241 

Secularization, decree. 51; plan. 51. 52; 

result 61 

Sepulveda, Francisco, 132; Jose, 133; 

Fernando '35 

Serra, Junipero 8. 15 

Serra Vista 23 1 

Serria, Father Vicente de 47 

Sisters of Holy Name 198. 210 

Slaverv in California 8i. 79, 80 



INDEX TO VIEWS. 



Sloat. John D.. raises flag 65, 66 

Smuggling 127 

Sola, Governor -j6 

Soldiers in Los Angeles County 99 

Soldiers' Home 171 

Sutton, Florence 306 

Soledad, mission 36 

South Santa Monica 219. 245 

South Santa Monica, history, 1874, 
244; 187s, 245; 1876, 245; 1887-8, 
246; 1889, 247; 1890. 248; 1892, 248; 
1893, 249; 1895, 250; 1896, 250; 1897, 

251 ; 1904-7 261 

So. Pac. Ry 

...88, 89, 109, 144, 154, 187, 197. 203. 309 

Stage routes 108. 109 

State division 97 

State Forestry Station 311 

Steamer, first 107 

Stearns, Abel 9^ 

Street car line, first in Los Angeles... 112 
Stockton, R. F., arrives, 67; at San Pe- 
dro, 70; San Diego, 70; Battle of 

Plains, 74 ; superseded 75 

Sugar beets 104 

Sutter, John A 60, 61 

Taft, Rev. S. H 34.S 

Tapia, Jose B., 126: Tiburcio 126-7, 12S 

Tell's Lookout 331 

Tennis Tournaments 306 

Territorial government 78. 79 

Terry, David S 84. 85 

Topanga Malibu 125 

Topography, Santa Monica region.... I2[ 
Trade, with Boston, 48; Philippines. . .5, 7 

Traction Co 223 

Transportation 308 

Treaty, Cahuenga, 61, 75; Guadalupe 
Hidalgo 76 



Treichel, Col. Charles 339 

Truxton "scheme" 143 

Ulloa, Francisco de 4 

U. S. Senators 07 

Upham, Major F. K 342 

Vallejo, M. G.... 58 

Values, Santa Monica, 1880, 167; 1890, 

185, 228, 234, 239, 258 

Vawter family 146, 159, 245 

Vawter, Edwin James 164, 250, 254 

Vawter. Williamson Dunn... 159. 188, 292 

Vawter, William S 162, 188, 221, 250 

Venice 229 

Venice of America, 330; plans, 331; 
growth, 332; Assembly, 332; break- 
water, 332; Chamber of Commerce.. 334 

Victoria, Manuel, governor 49 

Viglantes, Los Angeles, 53 ; San Fran- 
cisco 82, 83, 84, 85 

Viscaino, Sebastian 7, 123 

Warner, J. J 96, 97 

Water Co., Sawtelle 349 

Wells Fargo 108 

Westgate 229 

Wharf, first, 145: abandoned, 155; 

Bernard, 156 ; fight 177, 196, 248 

Wheat raising, Los Angeles County. . . 102 

Whittier 117 

Wilson, B. D 96, 102. 103, 115, 118. 119 

Wilmington 107. 118 

Wine making 102, 128 

Wolfskin, William 103 

W. C. T. U t86, 243, 272, 299 

Woman's Club, Santa Monica 301 

Y. M. C. A. of Southern California.. 249 

Zalvidea, Father Jose M 2t 



INDEX TO VIEWS. 



Admission of California into Union. ... 82 

Arch Rock 122 

Brentwood 232 

Brentwood Park 240 

Brice, J. L., Residence 320 

Church of Our Lady of the Angels. ... 95 

City Hall, Ocean Park 323 

City Hall, Santa Monica 217 

Creating Venice 330 

Colton Hall, Monterey, First State 

Capitol 79 

Court House, Los Angeles Co 94 

First Methodist Church 288 

Fire House, Dept. No. i 278 

Hotel, Santa Monica 176 

La Purisima Concepcion, Mission of... 34 



La Soledad, Mission of 36 

Library', Carnegie Public 271 

Mexican Custom House 53 

North Third Street, Santa [Monica 188 

"Old" Court House, Los Angeles County 98 

Port Los Angeles 207 

Saddle, military, Don Andres Pico.... 108 

San Antonio de Padua, Mission of . . . 19 

San Buenaventura, Mission of 31 

San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey, 

[Mission of 18 

San Die.go de Alcala, Mission of 16 

San Fernando Rey de Espana. Mis- 
sion of 41 

San Francisco de Asis, Mission of.... 28 

San Francisco de Solano, Mission of.. 45 



INDEX TO PORTRAITS. 



San (lal)ricl Arcaiigcl, .Mission of 21 

San Jose, Mission of 36 

San Jnan Rantista. Mission of ?,7 

San Jnan Capistrano, Mission of 29 

San Lnis Obispo de Toloso, Mission of 27 

San Luis Rev de Francia, Mission of.. 43 

San Miguel Arcangel. Mission of 40 

San Rafael. Mission of 45 

San Vicente Ranch House 133 

Santa [Barbara, Mission of 2>2 

Santa Clara. Mission of 30 

Santa Cruz. .Mission of 35 



Santa .Monica Reach, 1878 143 

Santa Monica, First Church 151 

Santa Monica, First House 136 

Santa Ynez, Mission of 44 

Sawtelle, First House 346 

Sawtelle Public School 348 

Si.xth Street School 268 

Soldiers' Home 342 

State Capitol, Renicia 86 

State Capitol, Sacramento 87 

Timm's Landing 118 

Topanga Canyon 126 

Venice Lake ^lii 



INDEX TO PORTRAITS. 



.\rmstrong, R. W 210 

.A.rcher, A. N 399 

Rane, Ralph 238 

Ranning, Gen. Phineas 107 

Rarrows, Henry D 391 

Rlanchard, J. D 264 

Rrowne. J. D. H 296 

Rurnett, Peter H 81 

Carpenter, Stephen 477 

Carrillo. Jose Antonio 54 

Carrillo, J. J 166 

Chapman, W. R 472 

Clark. J. H 274 

Coffman, H . L 210 

Corey. G. W., M.D 465 

Coronel, Antonio F 99 

Council. Citv S. M 210 

Crum, Rev. J. D 148 

Dales, E. V 264 

Davis, Orin 395 

Dike, E. \W 356 

Dobbings, J . 1! 452 

Dollard, Robert 302 

Dow, Roscoe H 210 

Downey, John G 97 

Eakins,' H. R 316 

Engelbrecht, H. J 264 

Foster, G. W 316 

l-'remont, John C 2 and 62 

Gillis, W. T 234 

Gird, E. C 420 

Goctz, H. X 225 

Griffith, Hester T 423 

Griffith, E 316 

Gwin, Wm. M 80 

Hamilton, N. H., M.D 218 

T 1 awe. Rev. Patrick 294 

I [emingwav, J. C 222 

Holt, 1). G' 264 and 280 

Hull, W. T 172 

I I utton. (k"o. II 214 

Ingersoll, L. .A Frontispiece 

Jewelt. C). W 354 



Johnston, A. F 242 

Jones, Hon. John P 120 

Keller, Don Mateo 128 

Kimball, Myron H 371 

Kinney, Abbot 326 

Larkin, Thomas 71 

Lawton, Frank D 304 

Machado, J. D 494 

Mackinnon, T. D 316 

Mayer, H. C 316 

Miles, J. Euclid 210 

Mil'er, R. M 264 

Mitchell, H. L 488 

Morris^ Alf 210 

Nellis, Clarence J 431 

Odell, S. W 381 

Palmer, W. M 447 

Petsch, Adolph 457 

Pico, Andres 75 

Pico, Pio 100 

Pierce, Grace Adele 439 

Putnam, R. G 482 

Quinn, Bernard 407 

Rebok, H. M 264 

Reel, Abe S 210 

Rile, H. F 443 

Rindge, Frederick H 129 

Sepulveda. Jose Dolores 132 

Serra, Junipero 15 

Shive'y. Daniel 414 

Shively, Sarah L 415 

Sloat, John D 65 

Smith, N. R.. D.D.S 433 

Smith, P. H 495 

Snvder, Geo. D 210 

Snyder, W. P 264 

Stearn.s, Don Abel 106 

J^tockton, Robert F 67 

Taft, Fred H 376 

Taft, Stephen H 344 

Tanner, R. R 230 

Taylor. Rev. and Mrs. George 411 

Taylor, W. I*. R 404 



INDEX TO BIOGRAPHIES. 



Towner, Charles E i54 

Trustees, City of Ocean Park 316 

Tullis, O. G 385 

Turner, Daniel 492 

Vallejo. Gen. M. G 58 

Vawter. E. J 160 



Vawter, E. J., Jr 262 

Vawter, W. D 140 

Vawter. W. S 184 

Wells, G. Wiley I34 

Wvant. A. H 35i 



INDEX TO BIOGRAPHIES. 



Alton, Daniel 397 

Archer. A. N 399 

Armstrong, R. W 481 

Badillo. P. M 509 

Baida, N. G 462 

Baker, Robert S 142 

Baker, E. H 481 

Bandini, Juan 463 

Bane, Ralph 44i 

Barrows, H. D 39i 

Berkley, S. L 4o8 

Bishop. B. R 481 

Blanchard, J. D 412 

Boehme, Geo. C 455 

Boehme, Geo 402 

Bonttv, E. F 441 

Bouck. C. A 432 

Brice, J. L 4-^8 

Brickner. John 462 

Brooks, F. W 442 

Browne, J. D. H 434 

Bundy, F. E 383 

Bundv. Nathan 43i 

Busier. A 382 

Calkins, A. H 4^9 

Carrillo, J. J 180 

Carpenter, Stephen 477 

Case. L. H., M.D 437 

Chapin, E. K 495 

Chapman, W. R 472 

Chenev, C. C 512 

Clark, Joseph H 359 

Collins, Mrs. Catharine 461 

Connelly, T. J 454 

Corey, Geo. W.. M.D 465 

Crane, H. isl 489 

Dales, C. S 453 

Dales, E. V 47o 

Dales, John B 454 

Davis, J. J 450 

Davis, Orin, M.D 395 

Devore, W. E 47i 

Dike. E. W r:^7 

Dobbings, J. H 453 

Dobson. R. C 460 

Dollard. Robert 417 

Dow, R. H 4-^9 

Dudlev, T. H 427 

Eakins, H. B 430 

Edinger, C. L 49i 



Finch, F. J 492 

Foster, G. W 448 

French. J. G 509 

Gillis, W. T 381 

Gird. E. C 421 

Griffith. Eliiah 423 

Griffith, Hester T 423 

Grigsbv. Tas. H 475 

Grimes. R. R 4i3 

Goodrich, L. B 493 

Goetz, H. X 40T 

Guidinger, A. M 47i 

Guntrup. John 455 

Hamilton. N. H.. M.D 369 

Hammond, "H. N 421 

Hancock. A. K 473 

Hawe, Rev. P 362 

Hemingway. J. C 394 

Hodgson, j. 418 

HoUwedel. H. C 490 

Holt, D. G 479 

Hudson. M. L 425 

Hull. W. 1 367 

Hunt, J. S.. M.D 476 

Hunter, Benj. S 4io 

Houston, H. E 467 

Hutton, George H 361 

Ingersoll. L. G 468 

Ingersoll, L. A 44^ 

Jackson, Arthur E 459 

Jackson, William 365 

Jewett, O. W 385 

Jones. John Percival ^57 

Tohnston. A. F 360 

keener. J. P 487 

Kendall. W. M. ^I.D 5io 

Kennedy, J. W 5io 

Kimball, Mvron H i7^ 

Kinnev. Abbott ^-7 

Kirkelie. O. A 490 

Langdon, F. C 3^9 

Lawton. Frank 435 

Le Bas. Charles 375 

Lindt, J 478 

Loudon, J. A 48^) 

Lowe, Thomas R 435 

Machado. J. D 494 

^Liver, H. C 4^9 

McCIellan, R. F 409 

Me'ov, Daniel 400 



INDEX TO BIOGRArHIES. 



)*Iel(iv. H. T 461 

Mctcalf. Joliii 403 

.Aliles. Klani C 438 

Milos. J. Kuclid 374 

Mitchell. II. L 4^S 

Mont«oniei-\ . A. M 384 

]\ron-is. Alt" 451 

I\runclcll, Walter 449 

Xellis, C. J 431 

O'Calladian. Rev. J. A 456 

Odell. S. W 381 

Palmer, W. M 447 

Parrish. I. E 413 

Parrisli. W. F 410 

Petsch. .\(lo'pli 457 

Peveler, I. J 511 

Phillips. R. A 511 

Pierce, Grace A 439 

Procter, J. B 483 

Pruess, E. A 443 

Putnam, R. G 482 

Quiiin. Bernard 407 

Rile. H. F 443 

Rindge, Frederick Plastings 128 

Rogers. C. W 445 

Sav.telle, W. E 364 

Sepnlveda. Jose Dolores 512 

Seymour, J. J 387 

Schohcld. Tom 440 

Schultz, Henry 488 

Schutte. G. W 464 

Sible}', Mrs. Geo 474 

Simpson, J. D 458 

Shive'ev, Daniel 414 

Smale, 'j. B. E 456 

Smith. W. S., M.D 511 



Smith, J. L 466 

Smith. N. R.. D.D.S 4.33 

Smith. P. H 495 

Snyder, W. P 467 

Snyder, Geo. D 366 

Sonnesyn, P. 11 485 

Stanwood. John A ^77 

Summerfield, K. R 390 

Taft. Fred H 376 

Taft, S. H 496 

Talkington, S. N 438 

Talkington. J. S 406 

Tanner, R. R 373 

Taylor, W. B. B 405 

Taylor. Rev. George 411 

Todd, J. W 388 

Towner, C. C 493 

Towner, C. E 363 

Tullis, O. G 385 

Turner, Daniel 492 

Vache, A 475 

Valenzuela, Jose 478 

Van Tress, B. F 422 

Vawter, Aramatha Charlotte. 162; 
Charles Knowlton, 165 ; Edwin 
James, 164; Edwin James. Jr., 165; 
Emma Knowlton. 164; Jane Cra- 
ven, 162: May, 162; Mary Ellen. 
161; Williamson Dunn, 169; Wil- 
liam S 162 

Watkevs, L. C 482 

Wells, G. Wiley 378 

Westover, O. S 484 

Wilber, H. P 485 

Woodruff, W. W 476 

Wyant, A. H 426 




GLOSSARY. 



Abadesa. Abbess. 

Abajenos. Inhabitants of Southern Cali- 
fornia. 
Aceqiiia. Ditcli. canal. 
A.'Dois. Good bye, (God be with you). 
Adobe. Black adhesive soil. 
Adobes. Sundried bricks of adobe. 
Agua. Water. 
Aguardiente. Brandy. 
Alameda. Walk under trees. 
Alabado. Hymn in praise of the .sacrament. 
Alcalde ma\'Gr. Magistrate of a district. 
Aliso. Alder tree. 
Alta. Upper, above. 
Amo. Master, owner. 
Arroyo. A small stream. 
Ayuntamiento. Municipal council. 
Bahia. Bay. 
Bando. Edict. 
Baja. Below, lower. 
Bidarka. Skin boat. 
Bicnes. Property. 
Blanco. White. 
Boca. Mouth. 
Bonita. Pretty. 

Brazo de mar. Arm of the sea. 
Brea. Pitch. 

Bronco. Unbroken horse. 
Bueno. Good. 

Buenos dias. Good morning. 
Caba'lo. Horse. 
Cabo. Cape. 
Caion. Box. chest. 
Calle. Street. 
Camino. Way. 
Campana. Bell. 
Campanula. Small bell. 
Campo. Field. 

Canada. Glen or dale between mountains. 
Campo santo. Graveyard. 
Canon. A tube, deep ra\'ine. 
Capilla. Chapel. 
Carreta. Cart. 
Carta. Letter, chart. 
Casa Grande. Large house. 
Castillo. Castle, fort. 
Catalina. Catherine. 
Cienega. A marsh. 
Cigarritos. Cigarets. 
Ciudad. City. 
Comandante. Commander. 
Compadre. Friend, comrade, godfather. 
Comisario. Commisary, a treasury official. 
Concepcion. Conception. 



Coyote. A small California wolf. 

Corbata. Cravat. 

Corral. A pen for live stock, or for poultry. 

Cuero. Hide of cattle or horses. 

Dehesas. Pasture lands. 

Dias. Days. 

Diablo. Devil. 

Dinero. Money. 

Diego. James. 

Diputacion. Deputy, committee. 

Dolores. Sorrows. 

Don. Mr. 

Dona. Mistress. 

Embarcadero. Place of embarkation. 

Enchiladas. Cornmeal cakes in chile sauce. 

Enfermo. Sick. 

Encino. Oak. 

Engano. Deceit, mistake, fraud. 

Ensenada. Creek, small bay. 

E.spanol. Spanish. 

Entrada. Entrance, invasion, incursion. 

Escoltas. Mission guard. 

Escondido. Hidden. 

Escrito. Writing or written. 

Estado. State. 

Fandango. Dance. 

Fierro. Branding iron. 

Fiesta. Feast Day. 

Erev. Father of a religious order. 

Erijoles. Beans. 

Fueeo. Fire. 

Fimios. Smoky. 

Galeria. Galley. 

Canado. Live stock, cattle. 

Gefepolitico. Political chief. 

Gente de Razon. Spaniards and Mexicans- 
distinguished from Indians. 

Gobenador. Governor. 

Gracias. Favors, thanks, graces. 

Hacienda. Country home. 

Hambre. Hunger. 

Hermano. Brother. 

Hermoso. Handsome. 

Herrar. To brand. 

Hidalgo. One of gentle birth. 

Hija. Daughter. 

Hijos del pais. Native sons. Sons of the 
country. 

Honil)re. Man 

Isla. Isle. 

Juez del campo. Judge of the plains. 
Tugador. Gamlilcr. 

Junta. Assembly. 



GLOSSARY. 



Jnraniciito. Oath. 

Las^iina. Small lake. 

Le.Liiia. T.cai>uc. 

I.ihros. Rdoks. 

Llano. Plain. 

Llavcro. Keeper of the keys. Tn the mis- 
sions, the store keeper. 

Lomrras. Ridges of hills, or mountains. 

Madre. Mother. 

Maestro, blaster. 

Mai. Evil, complaint. 

Mafiana. Morning, tomorrow. 

Manteca. Tallow. 

Mantilla. Head cover for women. 

Mariposa. Butterfly. 

Maromeros. Rope dancers. 

Matanza. Slaughter-yard. 

Major-domo. Steward, overseer. 

Mecate. Mexican for rope. 

Medio real. Half a real, or 6^4 cents. 

Memorias. Memoranda. 

Metatc. A curved grinding stone. 

Mejicano. Mexican. 

Mezcal. A liquor made from the maguey 
plant. 

Molino. Mi'l. 

Morro. Steep cliff. 

Mesa. Tahle land. 

Milpas. Indian corn-fields. 

Muchacho. Boy. 

Negro. Black. 

Neofita. A converted Indian. 

Noche. Night. 

Nuestra Scnor. Our Lord. 

Nuestra Seiidra. Our Lady. 

Nuestra Senora d" Los Angeles. Our Lady 
of the Angels. 

Nuevo. New. 

Ojo. Eye. 

Olco. The sacred oil. 

Olla. A round earthen pot. 

Orden. Order, command. 

Ordenanza. Ordinances. 

Orejano. Wild. Res orejano de fierro. 
Cattle marked on the ears. 

Oso. Bear. 

Oro. Gold. 

Padre. Father. 

Pais. Country. 

Palacio. Palace. 

Pasajes. Valleys. 

Patio. Court. 

Peon. A game at dice. 

Pinole. Drink of cornmeal, water and sugar. 

Pinos. Pine. 

Playa. Sea beach. 

Plaza. Square, market place. 

Pobladores. Settlers, founders of a town. 

Poco. Little. 

Pozole. Beans boiled with corn or wheat. 

Potrero. Pasture. 

Pozo. Spring. 



Presidio. Garrison. 

Primo. First. 

Pronunciamento. Proclamation. 

Propriedad. Proprietorship, etc. 

Pueb'o. City. 

Publica. Public. 

Puerto. Port, harbor. 

Ramada. A hush house, or shed. 

Rancheria. An Indian village. 

R^nchita. Small ranch. 

Rancho. Farm, range. 

Realistas. Royalists. 

Real. Spanish coin worth 12!/) cents. 

Reata. A rope of rawhide for lassoing 

cattle. 
Rebosa. Shawl. Worn o\'er the head. 
Reglemento. Regulation. 
Realengo. Royal, kingly. 
Regidor. Alderman, director. 
Revolucionario. Revolutionist. 
Roble. Oak tree. 
Rio. River. 

Rodeo. Rounding up of cattle. 
Salinas. Salt marshes. 
Seco. Dry. 

Seguridad. Safety, securely. 
Sierra Nevada. Ridge of mountains covered 

with snow. 
Sierra. Ridge of mountains. 
Silla. Chair, or saddle. 
Silla vaquera. Saddle used by vaquero. 
Sitio. Small stock range. 
Soberano. Sovereign, supreme. 
Sobrante. Residue, left over. 
Soldado. Soldier. 
Sombrero. Hat. 
Suertes. Fields. 
Sureiios. Southerners. 
Tamale. Indian meal dumpling stuffed with 

minced meat, chicken, etc. 
Tasajo. Jerked beef. 

Tecolero. Master of ceremonies at a ball. 
Tecolote. Species of owl. 
Temblor. Shake. 
Temblor de tierra. Earthquake. 
Terreno. Ground. 
Testigo. Witness. 
Tonto. Stupid, foolish. 
Tortillas. Little cakes, pancakes. 
Trabaj adores. Laborers. 
Tule. Reed, native grown. 
Tuna. Cactus plant. 
Vaquero. Cow herder. 
Vara. Rod, staff, yard measure. 
Venta. Sale mark of cattle. 
Violincito. A small fiddle. 
Vitiero. One who cares for vines 
Vocal. Voting member of a corporation. 
Vino. Wine. 

Visitador. Visiter. sur\e\or. 
Yerba. Herb. 
Zanja. Irrigating ditch. 
Zanjero. One in charge of a zanja. 




JOHN C. FREMONT 



Brief History of California. 



CHAPTER I. 



DiscoviiRV. 



R 




OMANCE enters into the story of 
California with its very beginning. 
When Gondalez de Sandoval, in 1524, 
gave to Cortes an account of a wonderful 
island ten days to the westward from the 
Pacific Coast of Mexico, inhabited by women 
only and exceedingly rich in pearls and gold, 
he no doubt derived his information from 
Montalvo's romance, " Sergas de Esplandian." 
Cortes seems to have given credence to his 
lieutenant's story and to have kept in view 
the discovery of this wonderful island, Cali- 
fornia. The discovery of what is now known as the peninsula of Lower 
California, but which was then supposed to be an island, by Fortuna Jiminez, 
in 1534, no doubt confirmed in Cortes' mind the truth of Sandoval's story, 
told him a decade before. For did not the island of Jiminez, like the island 
of Montalvo's fiction, lie on the right hand of the Indies, or where the Indies 
were then supposed to be? Pearls were found on it and gold and the 
Amazons must be there, too. 

Fortuna fiminez, the discoverer of Lower California, was chief pilot on 
one of the ships which Cortes, in 1533. fitted out to explore the northwest coast 
of Mexico. A mutiny broke out on the ship commanded by Becerro de Men- 
doza. He was killed and his friends forced to go on shore at Jalisco. The muti- 
neers, commanded by Jiminez, sailed westerly away from the coast of the main- 
land. After several days of sailing out of sight of the main land, they discov- 
ered what they supposed to be an island and landed at what is now known as 
La Paz, in Lower California. There Jiminez and twenty of his followers were 
killed by the Indians ; the few survivors of the ill-fated crew managed to navi- 
gate the vessel back to Jalisco, where they reported the discovery of an island 
rich in pearls. 



4 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

Cortes, hearing the report and probably beheving the island to be the Cali- 
fornia of the story, fitted out an expedition to colonize it. With three ships and 
a number of soldiers and settlers, he landed in May, 1535, at the place where 
Jiminez was killed, which he named Santa Cruz ; but instead of an island peo- 
pled with women who lived after the manner of Amazons and whose arms and 
trappings were made of gold, he found a sterile country inhabited by the most 
abject and degraded of beings. Disaster after disaster fell upon the unfortu- 
nate colony. Some of the ships sent to bring supplies were wrecked and others 
driven out of their course. Some of the colonists died from starvation before 
I he supplies reached them and others from over-eating afterwards. After two 
vears of struggling against misfortune, Cortes abandoned the attempt and the 
wretched colonists were brought back to Mexico. Thus ended the first effort 
to colonize California. 

Some time between 1535 and 1537 the name California was applied to the 
land still supposed to be an island ; but whether Cortes applied it in the hope of 
encouraging his colonists or whether the country was so named in derision, is 
not known. The name was subsequently applied to all the land along the Pa- 
cific Coast northward to 42 degrees, the limit of the Spanish possessions. 

The vast unexplored regions to the northward of that portion of Mexico 
which he had conquered had a fascination for Cortes. He dreamed of finding 
in them empires vaster and richer than those he had already subdued. For 
years he fitted out expeditions by sea and by land to explore this terra incognita ; 
but failure after failure wrecked his hopes and impoverished his purse. The 
last of the parties was the one commanded by Francisco de Ulloa, who in 1539 
sailed up the Gulf of California on the Sonora side to its head, and then down 
the inner coast of Lower California to the cape at its extremity, which he doubled 
?nd sailed thence northward to Cabo de Engano (Cape of Deceit.) Here the 
two vessels of the expedition, after being tossed and bufTeted by head winds, 
parted company in a storm. The smaller returned to Santiago. Of the other 
which was directly under Ulloa's command, nothing is definitely known — nor 
of Ulloa's fate. The only thing accomplished by this voyage was to demon- 
strate that California was a peninsula, although even this fact was not fully 
accepted for two centuries after this. Cortes returned to Spain in 1540, where 
after vainly trying to obtain from the King some recognition of his services and 
some recompense for his outlay, he died — a disappointed and impoverished man. 

The next voyage which had anything to do with the discovery and explora- 
tion of California was that of Hernando de Alarcon. With two ships he sailed 
from Acapulco, May 9, 1540, up the Gulf of California. His object was to co- 
operate with Coronado. The latter, with an army of 400 men, had marched 
from Culiscan, April 22, 1540, to discover and conquer the "Seven Cities of 
Cibola," which the romancing friar, Marcos de Niza, "led l)y the Holy Ghost" 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 5 

and blessed with a fertile imagination, claimed to have seen somewhere in the 
wilds of what is now Arizona. Alarcon, at the head of the gulf, discovered 
the mouth of a great river. Up this stream, which he named Buena Guia — 
now the Colorado — he claimed to have sailed eighty-five leagues. He was 
probably the first white man to set foot in the territory now included in the State 
of California. 

While Coronado was still absent in search of the Seven Cities, and of 
Quivera, a country rich in gold, lying somewhere in the interior of the continent, 
the successor of Cortes entered into a compact with Pedro de Alvarado, Gov- 
ernor of Guatemala, who had a fleet of ships lying at anchor in the harbor of 
Natividad, Mexico, to unite their forces in an extensive scheme of exploration 
and conquest. An insurrection broke out among the Indians of Jalisco and in 
trying to suppress it Alvarado was killed. The return of Coronado dispelled 
the myths of Cibola and Quivera and put an end, for the time, to further ex- 
ploration of the interior regions to the north of Mexico. 

On the death of Alvarado, his successor, Mendoza, placed five ships under 
the command of Ruy Lopez de Villalobas and sent them to the Islas de Poniente 
(Isles of the Setting Sun — now Philippines) to establish trade. Two ships of 
the fleet, under the command of Juan Roderiguez Cabrillo, were sent to explore 
the northwest coast of the Pacific. He sailed from Natividad June 27, 1542; 
on August 30th they reached Cabo de Engano, the most northern point of Ulloa's 
exploration. Continuing his voyage along the coast, he discovered a number 
of bays and islands. On Sept. 23, 1542, Cabrillo entered a fine bay called by 
him San Miguel, now San Diego Bay. After three days further sailing he 
sighted the islands which he named San Salvador and V'itoria, after his vessels, 
now Catalina and San Clemente. From these islands he crossed to the main- 
land on Oct. 8th and entered a bay Vvhich he named Bahia de los Fumos (Bay 
of Smokes), now San Pedro Bay. After entering a bight, supposed to have 
been Santa Monica, he continued northwestward, passed through the Santa Bar- 
bara channel and discovered the islands of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San 
Miguel. Going on up the coast, he found a long narrow point of land extend- 
ing into the sea, which from its resemblance to a galley boat, he called Cabo de 
la Galeria, now Point Conception. November 17th he doubled Point of Pines 
and entered ^Monterey Bay, which he called Bahia de los Pinos (Bay of Pines.) 
Finding it impossible to land on account of the heavy seas, he proceeded north- 
ward until he reached 40 degrees, north latitude, as he estimated. On account 
of cold weather and storms he turned back and ran down to San Miguel, where 
he decided to winter. Here, from the effects of a fall, he died Jan. 3, 1543, and 
was buried on the island. His companions renamed the island Juan Roderiguez, 
after their brave commander; but he did not retain even this small honor. The 
discoverer of California sleeps in an unknown grave. 



6 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

The command devolved on the chief pilot, Bartolome Ferrelo, who prose- 
cuted the voyage with a courage and daring equal to that shown by Cabrillo. 
On Feb. 28th he discovered a point of land which he named Cape Mendocino 
in honor of the Viceroy. Passing this cape, he encountered a furious storm, 
which drove him violently to the northeast and greatly endangered his ships. 
On March ist the fogs lifted and he saw Cape Blanco in the southern part of 
what is now Oregon. The weather continuing stormy and the cold increasing, 
Ferrelo was compelled to turn back. Off the coast of San Clemente the ships 
were driven apart and did not come together again until they reached the Cerros 
Islands. In sore distress for provisions they arrived at Natividad, April 18, 1543. 

The next navigator who visited California was Sir Francis Drake, an Eng- 
lishman. He was not so much seeking new lands as trying to find a wav of 
escape from capture by the Spanish. Francis Drake, the sea-king of Devon 
and one of the bravest of men, sailed from Plymouth Dec. 13, 1577, in com- 
mand of a fleet of five small vessels on a privateering expedition against the 
Spanish settlements of the Pacific Coast. When he sailed out of the Straits of 
Magellan into the South Sea, he had but one ship left, all the others had been 
lost or had turned back. With this small vessel he began a career of plunder- 
ing among the Spanish settlements that for boldness, daring and success has 
had no equal in the world's history. The quaint chronicler of the voyage sums 
up the proceeds of his raids at "eight hundred and sixty-five thousand pesos of 
silver, a hundred thousand pounds of gold and other things of great worth." 
Plundering as he moved, he reached the port of Guatulco on the coast of 
Oaxaca. Surfeited with spoils and with his ship laden to her fullest capacity, 
it became a necessity for him to find a new way home. In the language of the 
chronicler, "He thought it was not good to return by the straits, lest the Span- 
iards should attend for him in great numbers." So he sailed away to the north- 
ward to find the Straits of Anian, which were supposed to connect the North 
Pacific with the Atlantic. For two hundred years after the discovery of Amer- 
ica, navigators searched for that mythical passage. Drake, keeping well out to 
sea, sailed northward for two months. The cold, the head winds and the leaky 
condition of his craft compelled him to turn back and he sailed down the coast 
until he found a safe harbor under the lee of a promontory, now Point Reyes. 
Here he repaired his ship, took formal possession of the country in the name of 
his sovereign. Queen Elizabeth, and named it New Albion, from a fancied re- 
semblance to his homeland. He had his chaplain, Parson Fletcher, preach a 
sermon to the natives ; this did not greatly impress them, we are told, but they 
took delight in the psalm singing. After a stay of thirty-six days, on July 23(1, 
1579, Drake sailed for England and after nearly three years of absence, during 
which he had circumnavigated the globe, he reached home safely and was knighted 
bv Elizabeth. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 7 

Sixty years passed after Cabrillo's voyage before another Spanish explorer 
visited CaHfornia. The chief object of Sebastian Viscaino's voyage was to find a 
harbor of refuge for the Philippine galleons. These vessels on their return voy- 
age sailed northward until they struck the Japan current, which they followed 
across the ocean until they reached the vicinity of Cape Mendocino, then sailed 
along the coast to Acapulco. Viscaino started from Acapulco May 5, 1602, 
with three ships and 160 men. Following substantially the course that Cabrillo 
had taken, he anchored in Cabrillo's Bay of San Miguel, which he called San 
Diego, in honor of his flagship. He remained there ten days, then proceeded 
up the coast and on the 26th anchored in a bay which he called Ensenada de San 
Andreas, now San Pedro. He visited Cabrillo's San Salvador, to which he gave 
the present name of Santa Catalina and changed the name of Vitoria to San 
Clemente. He gave the name of Santa Barbara to that channel and visited the 
channel islands. He saw many towns on the mainland and the natives came 
off in their canoes and visited the vessels. On Dec. i6th Viscaino entered 
Monterey Bay, as he named it in honor of the Viceroy who had fitted out the 
expedition. The scurvy had broken out on ship and sixteen men were already 
dead. The San Tomas was sent back to Acapulco with the sick ; with his two 
remaining vessels Viscaino continued his voyage northward, reaching Cape 
Blanco. But at this point he, too, was compelled to turn backward. The scurvy 
had made fearful inroads on his crews and after eleven months' absence, Vis- 
caino reached Mazlatan, having lost nearly half of his crew. He wrote the King 
a glowing account of the Bay of Monterey and the surrounding country, which 
he pictured as almost a terrestrial paradise. His object was to induce the King 
to establish a settlement on Monterey Bay. In this he was doomed to disap- 
pointment; delay followed delay until hope vanished. Finally, in 1606, orders 
came from Philip III to the Viceroy to fit out immediately an expedition for the 
occupation and settlement of Monterey, of which Viscaino was to be the com- 
mander. In the midst of his preparations for carrying out the dearest object 
of his life, Viscaino died and the expedition was abandoned. Had it not been 
for the untimely death of this explorer, a colonv would have been planted upon 
the Pacific coast of California, a year before the first settlement was made on 
the Atlantic coast of North America. 

Two hundred and twenty-seven years had passed since the ships of Cabrillo 
had first cut the waters that lap the shores of Alta California and yet through 
all these years the interior of the vast country whose seacoast he had visited 
remained unknown. For more than two centuries the Alanila galleons had 
sailed down the coast on their return voyage from the islands ; yet after the 
death of A^iscaino no other attempt had been made to find a refuge on the Cali- 
fornia coast for the storm tossed and scurvy afflicted mariners of the Philippine 
trade. 



CHAPTER II. 

Colonization. 

THE Jesuits began their work among the degraded inhabitants of Lower 
CaUfornia in 1697. Under their devoted leaders, Salvatierra, Kino, 
Ugarte, Piccolo, and their successors, they had founded sixteen missions 
upon the peninsula. Father Kino, besides his missionary labors, had made, be- 
tween 1697 and 1702, explorations around the head of the Gulf of California and 
up the Colorado to the mouth of the Gila, which had clearly demonstrated that 
the peninsula was a part of the mainland instead of an island as at first believed. 
Father Kino formed the design of establishing a chain of missions around the 
heaa of the gulf and down the inner coast to Cape San Lucas ; but did not live 
to complete his ambitious project. The Jesuit missions of Baja California never 
grew rich in flocks and herds. The country was barren and the few fertile val- 
leys around the missions gave the padres and neophytes, at best, but a frugal 
return for their labors. 

For years there had been growing up in Spain a strong hostility to the 
Jesuits which finally resulted in the issuance of a decree by Carlos III, in 1767, 
banishing the order from that country and from its American possessions. With- 
out previous warning, the monks in Lower California were compelled to aban- 
don their missions and were hurried from the country. At the head of the Fran- 
ciscan order, to wdiom the abandoned missions were turned over, came Father 
Junipero Serra, a man of indomitable will and energy. Don Jose Galvez, vis- 
itador-general of New Spain, had been sent to the peninsula to regulate afifairs — 
both secular and ecclesiastical, which had been thrown into disorder by the sud- 
den expulsion of the Jesuits. He also received orders to advance the scheme for 
the occupation of San Diego and Monterey harbors and the colonization of 
"Nueva California." Galvez, as soon as he had somewhat systematized matters 
on the peninsula, set vigorously to work to further the project of occupying the 
northern territory. Father Serra entered heartily into his plans and church and 
state worked together harmoniously. 

Galvez decided to fit out four expeditions — two by sea and two by land. 
These were to start at dift'erent dates, but were all to unite at San Diego Bay and 
after occupying that territory, pass on to the harbor of Monterey. On Jan. 9, 
1769, the San Carlos sailed from La Paz. with sixty-five persons on board, twenty- 
five of whom were soldiers under Lieutenant Fages. She carried supplies for 
eight months. On the 15th of February, the San Antonio sailed from Cape S. 
Lucas, with two friars and a few mechanics on board. The first land expedition 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 9 

started from \'elicata, the most northern settlement in Lower Cahfornia, March 
24th. It was commanded by Rivera y Moncada and consisted of twenty-five sol- 
diers, forty-two natives, with Padres Crespi and Cahizar'^s. The last expedi- 
tion, which was under the immediate command of Caspar cie Portala, Covernor 
of the Calif ornias, left Velicata May 15th. It consisted of ten soldiers, with a 
band of Lower Californians, and was accompanied by Father Serra. 

The San Antonio, although the last to sail, was the first to arrive at its des- 
tination, casting anchor in San Diego Bay, April 11, 1769. The San Carlos, 
after a most disastrous voyage, drifted into the bay on April 29th. The crew 
were prostrated with scurvy and it was with difficulty that a boat was manned 
to go ashore. The sick were landed, but when the scourge had run its course, 
few were left. Moncada's land expedition, after an uneventful march, reached 
San Diego May 14th. On the first day of July Portala's command arrived and 
the four divisions, aggregating 126 persons who were expected to remain in the 
countrv, were united. The ravages of scurvy had so depleted the crews of the 
two vessels that onlv enough men remained to man one vessel. The San Antonio 
was sent back to San Bias for supplies and another crew for the San Carlos. A 
third vessel, the San Jose, had been fitted out by Galvez and loaded with supplies 
for the missionaries ; but she was never heard from after the day of sailing. 

On July 1 6th, Father Serra formally founded the first mission in Nueva 
California, which was dedicated to San Diego de Alcala — St. James of Alcala — 
a Franciscan friar who died in 1463 and was canonized in 1588. On July 14th 
Governor Portala, with Padres Crespi and Gomez and a force made up of sol- 
diers and Indians of Lower California, numbering in all sixty-five persons, set 
out from San Diego to go overland to Monterey Bay and there found the intended 
mission and settlement. The route of the expedition was mainly along the coast, 
with afi occasional divergence inland. On August 2nd they camped on the future 
site of Los Angeles. Along the coast of Santa Barbara channel they found pop- 
ulous Indian villages and were everywhere welcomed by the natives of the coun- 
try. The explorers passed by Monterey Bay without recognizing it from the 
description of Viscaino, and traveled along the coast to the north. On Nov. 2nd 
some of the hunters of the party climbed a hill and saw an "arm of the sea." 
This was the body of water we now know as San Francisco Bay. Their pro- 
visions were exhausted and many were sick. In consequence it was decided to 
turn back and the party reached San Diego again in January, 1770. Portala's 
expedition had failed in its object to found a mission on the bay of Monterey, 
but it had accomplished a far greater feat — it had discovered San Francisco Bay. 

In April. 1770, Portala again set out for Monterey, with a force of twenty- 
five soldiers and natives. At the same time Father Serra sailed on the San An- 
tonio for the bay. On June 3. 1770, the mission of San Carlos Borremeo de 
Monterey was formally established on the beach, with solemn ceremonies, ac- 



10 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

companied by the ringing of bells and the crack of musketry and roar of cannon. 
Father Serra conducted the services and Governor Portala took possession of 
the country in the name of the King of Spain, Carlos III. A presidio or fort of 
palisades was erected and a few huts built. Portala, having formed the nucleus 
of a settlement, turned over the command of the territory to Fages and sailed 
to Lower California on the San Antonio. This was the end of his term as Gov- 
ernor. 

Presidios and Pueblos. 

For the protection of the missions and to prevent foreigners from entering 
California, military posts, called presidios, were established at San Diego, Monte- 
rey, Santa Barbara and San Francisco. These enclosures were in the form of 
a square and were surrounded by adobe walls ten or twelve feet high. Within 
were the officers' quarters, the barracks for the soldiers, a guard house, chapel, 
granaries, and storehouses. A military force, usually consisting of one coi"' 
pany, was stationed at each post under the command of a colonel or lieutenant. 
The largest force was kept at Monterey, the capital of the territory. The Gov- 
ernor, or commandante-general who, under Spanish rule was always an army 
officer, was commander-in-chief of the troops in the territory. The principal 
service of the soldiers was to keep in check the neophytes, to protect the mis- 
sions from the incursions of the "gentiles," as the wild Indians were known, and 
to capture neophytes who had escaped to their unconverted relatives. 

The mission fathers were opposed to the colonization of the countrv by 
white people. They well knew that the bringing of a superior race of people 
into contact with the lower would result in the demoralization of the inferior race. 
As rapidly as they could found missions, they arrogated to themselves all th' 
choice lands within the vicinity of each establishment. A settler could not ob- 
tain a grant of land from the public domain if the padres of the nearest mission 
opposed the action. The difficulty of obtaining supplies from Mexico for the 
soldiers of the presidios, necessitated the founding of agricultural colonies. Pre- 
vious to 1776 the Governor of "Las Californias" as the country TFrom Cape San 
Lucas to the most northern point of the Spanish possessions was known, re- 
sided at Loreto, in Lower California. In that year the territory was divided 
into two districts and a governor appointed for each. Felipe de Neve was made 
Governor of Nueva California, of which Monterey was designated as the capital, 
and Rivera y Moncada was appointed Governor of Lower California to reside 
at Loreto. 

Hitherto all expeditions to Nueva California had come either by the coast 
route, up the peninsula, or by sea. In 1774 Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, 
commander of the Tubac presidio of Sonora, was ordered to explore a route by 
wa}' of the Gila and Colorado rivers overland to Monterey. With a party of 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 11 

thirty-four men, he made the Jornada, crossing the desert, entering the San Ber- 
nardino Vallev through the San Gorgonio Pass and reaching San Gabriel. On 
his return to Sonora, he recruited a second expedition composed of soldiers, set- 
tlers and their families— in all over three hundred persons, who were designed 
to found a mission and a presidio on San Francisco Bay. After a long and toil- 
some journey this party reached California in 1776. On the 17th of Septembe 
1776, the presidio of San Francisco was formally established and on October 9th 
the mission, christened for the founder of the Franciscan order, was founded. 

Governor de Neve, on his journey overland in 1777 from Loreto to Monte- 
rey, was instructed to examine the country from San Diego northward and se- 
lect locations for agricultural settlements. He chose two colony sites, one on 
the Rio de Porciuncula, where Portala's expedition had camped in 1769 and to 
which he had given the name of "Nuestra Sehora de Los Angeles," and the 
other on the Rio de Guadalupe in the northern section of the territory. Here, 
Nov. 29. 1777, Governor de Neve founded the Pueblo de San Jose. The col- 
onists were nine soldiers from the presidios of Monterey and San Francisco and 
five settlers of Anza's expedition. These, with their families, made a total of 
sixty-six. The site of the pueblo was about a mile north of the present city of 
San Jose. Each settler was given a tract of irrigable land, a soldier's rations 
and ten dollars per month. Each head of a family received a yoke of oxen, two 
horses, two cows, a mule, two sheep and two goats, a few farming implements 
and seed for the first sowing. The colonists were to reimburse the royal treas- 
ury for all the articles furnished them except their rations and monthly pay, 
the payments to be made in installments from the products of their industry. 

The Spanish government had an elaborate code of laws governing the es- 
tablishment and management of pueblos. These were applied with small mod- 
ification to all new pueblos, whatever their location and conditions. Each pueblo 
must contain four square leagues of land, which was divided into planting fields, 
allotted to the colonists ; lands retained by the municipality for renting ; a com- 
mon pasture for the use of all, and a portion of land reserved for the state, used 
for raising revenues. Wood and water were communal property. The pueblo 
was governed by a semi-civil, semi-military official known as the comisionado. 
There was also an alcalde, who was a mayor and petty judge. A guard of sol- 
diers were kept at the guard house, partly for protection against the Indians and 
partly to preserve the peace in the pueblo. 

In 1779 Rivera y Moncada, the Governor of Lower California, was instructed 
to recruit in Sonora and Sinaloa settlers for the founding of a pueblo on the 
Rio Porciuncula and soldiers for the founding of a presidio and mission on the 
Santa Barbara channel. The settlers were to receive each $106.50 for two years 
and $60 for the next three years, the payment to be in clothing and other neces- 
sary articles at cost price ; also live stock, farming implements and seeds. These 



12 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

liberal offers secured but few recruits and those of poor quality. . After a year 
Rivera had obtained but fourteen settlers. Two of these deserted before the 
company left Sonora and one was left behind at Loreto when, in April, 1781, 
the expedition began to march up the peninsula. The colonists under command 
of Lieut. Zuniga arrived at San Gabriel, August i8th, where they remained until 
Sept. 4th. The eleven settlers and their families — forty-four persons in all, es- 
corted bv Gov. de Neve and a small guard of soldiers and accompanied by the 
priests of San Gabriel Mission, on Sept. 4, 1781, proceeded to the site previously 
selected for the pueblo. This was on the right bank of the Rio Porciuncula near 
the spot where Portala's explorers had celebrated the feast of Nuesta Sehora de 
Los Angeles de Porciuncula, from which circumstances was derived the name of 
the pueblo and the river. A plaza, seventy-five by one hundred varas was laid 
off on the mesa above the river as the center of the settlement. A mass was 
said by the priests of the mission, a procession was formed and marched around 
the plaza, the soldiers bearing the imperial standard of Spain and the women 
the image of "Our Lady of the Angels." The priests blessed the plaza and the 
house lots. The services over, the Governor and his escort took their departure 
and the colonists were left to work out their destiny. Another pueblo called 
Branciforte was founded in 1797 near Santa Cruz, but never prospered. The 
settlers were discharged soldiers, unused to labor and averse to acquiring indus- 
trious habits. 

A few grants of land were made to private citizens, but substantially, during 
the Spanish era, all the land outside of the pueblos used for grazing or for culti- 
vation was held by the missions. The commerce of California at this period was 
limited to the ships of the missions which usually came twice a year from San 
Bias with supplies for the missions and presidios and took away the few commer- 
cial products of the country, such as otter skins, hides and tallow of cattle. About 
1800 the American smugglers began to come to the coast. The vessels engaged 
in this trade were principally from Boston and were fast sailing craft. They 
exchanged Yankee notions for otter skins. The authorities tried to suppress 
this illicit traffic, but were not often successful, as the vessels were heavily armed 
and when not able to escape the revenue officers, by speed or strategem, were not 
averse to fighting their way out. 

Of the long and bloody struggle for Mexican independence, beginning with 
the insurrection led by the patriot priest, Hidalgo, in 18 10, and continuing under 
various leaders for eleven years, but little was known in California. The men 
who filled the office of territorial governor during the years of the fratricidal 
struggle — Arrilliga, Argiiella and Sola, were royalists and so were the mission 
padres, nearly all of whom were Spanish born. The soldiers and the common 
people knew but little about what was going on in the world beyond and cared less. 

The one event that disturbed the placidity of life during the closing years 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



13 



of the Spanish rule was the appearance on the coast of Bouchard, the privateer, 
with two frigates heavily armed. Bouchard was a Frenchman cruising under 
letters of Marque from the insurgent government of Buenos Ayres, against the 
Spanish. He entered the harbor of Monterey, Nov. 21, 181 8, probably to ob- 
tain supplies, but being coldly received, he fired upon the fort. The Californians 
made a brave resistance, but were finally overpowered. Bouchard sacked and 
burned the town. He next appeared at Ortega's Rancho, where he burned the 
buildings. Here the Californians captured three prisoners, who were exchanged 
next day when Bouchard anchored ofif Santa Barbara for one Californian whom 
the insurgents had captured at Monterey. Bouchard next visited San Juan Cap- 
istrano, where his "pirates" drank the padres' wine, then he took his departure 
from California. Four of Bouchard's men were left and became permanent resi- 
dents — Joseph Chapman, an American, and Fisher, a negro, who were captured 
at Monterey ; and John Ross, a Scotchman, and Jose Pascual, a negro, who de- 
serted at San Juan. Chapman was the first American resident of Southern Cali- 
fornia. He married Guadalupe Ortega, a daughter of the owner of the Refugio 
Rancho which was plundered by the insurgents, and settled at the mission San 
Gabriel. He built there the first flour mill erected in California. 

The war of Mexican Independence caused hard times in California. The 
soldiers received no pay and the mission supply ships came at long intervals. 
Money was almost an unknown quantity. There were products to sell, but no 
one to sell them to except an occasional smuggler, or a tallow ship from Peru. 




CHAPTER III. 

The Mission Establishments. 

IT WAS not the intention of the vSpanish g-overnment that the mission 
estabhshments should continue permanently as missions. According to 
the law, at the end of ten years from its founding each mission was to 
be converted into a municipal organization, known as a pueblo, or town ; and 
the property of the mission, both personal and real, was to be sub-divided 
among the neophytes of the establishment. But the training which the natives 
received did not fit them for self-government. They were forced to labor and 
were instructed in many branches of industry, as well as in the religious 
ceremonials ; but they received no intellectual training and they made little 
progress toward self-control. The padres persistently urged that the neophytes 
were incompetent to use and manage property, and during the time that Cali- 
fornia was subject to Spain no attempt was made to carry out the law and 
secularize the missions. 

In form, the different missions resembled one another. Col. J. J. Warner, 
thus describes the general form: "A large pile of buildings in the form of 
a quadrangle, composed partly of burnt brick, but chiefly of sun-dried ones, 
was erected around a spacious court. A large and capacious church, usually 
occupying one corner of the quadrangle, was a conspicuous part of the pile. 
In these buildings, which were covered with red tile, was the habitation of 
the friars, rooms for guests and for the major-domos and their families, hospital 
wards, storehouses and granaries." 

A guard of four or five soldiers was kept at each mission to control the 
neophytes. Each establishment held possession of large tracts of land, con- 
tiguous to its buildings. These were divided into ranches, over which roamed 
large herds and flocks under the charge of Indian vaqueros. The neophytes 
for the most part were docile and easily managed, and some of the brighter 
ones were taught mechanical trades and became fairly good blacksmiths, 
weavers, tanners, shoemakers, saddlers, brick-makers, etc. They certainly 
accomplished a large amount of labor under the padres and proved themselves 
capable, with proper supervision, of supporting themselves — and producing a 
large surplus for the benefit of the church. 

The history and present condition of each mission is here presented. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



15 




JUNIPERO SERRA. 

" The first Apostle of California," Father Junipero Serra, was a humble 
friar of the Franciscan order when, in 1767, he was appointed presidente 
general of the missions of the Californias, in charge of the missions of Lower 
California, and with orders to establish new missions in L'pper California. 
Filled with zeal for the salvation of souls, he prepared with great rejoicing and 

with excellent good sense, as well, to enter new 
territory. For sixteen years he labored inces- 
santl}-, travelling up and down the coast and 
visiting the City of Mexico, although he was 
afiiicted with an incurable disease and so lame 
that he could not move without suffering. He 
founded nine missions before his death, at which 
five thousand natives had been baptized. 

Less than a year before he died, he made his 
last journey from San Diego to Monterey, visiting 
each of the missions, journeying on foot, sleeping 
on the ground, although he was so ill that no one believed he would live to 
complete the trip. Fie was most ascetic in his habits, never eating meat ; sleeping 
upon rough boards, and spending most of the night in prayer ; Palou relates that 
four days before his death an old Indian woman came to visit the holy father 
and with his own hand he gave her a blanket. After his death thev found that 
it was half of his own blanket that he had given. 

Father Serra was born on the Island of Majorca in 1713: he died at San 
Carlos Mission, August 29, 1784, and was buried in the church to which he 
had given so much of his love and thought. 

To Junipero Serra and his noble band of assistants California owes the 
existence of her mission ruins ; but she also owes to these simple, hard-working 
friars, the beginnings of her industries, the nomenclature of her geography, 
the distinctiveness of her architecture and the civilization of her savages. 

SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA. 



JUNIPERO SERRA. 



The Mission San Diego de Alcala (Saint James of Alcala), was founded 
July 16, 1769, by Father Junipero Serra, on an eminence overlooking the Bay 
of San Diego. A temporary altar was erected beneath the branches of a tree 
from which bells were swung and loudly rung. Water was blessed, the cross 
raised, high mass was sung by Father Junipero. The services were attended 
by the officers and soldiers from the ships and the land forces ; the royal standard 
was unfurled and the country was formally occupied in the name of Carlos III. 



16 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



Several huts were erected, one of which was used as a chapel. The Indians at 
no time very friendly, became hostile, and on August 15, 1769, made an attack 
upon the mission, but were repulsed, and a stockade was immediately erected 
around the camp. 

In 1 77 1 Fathers Luis Jayme and Francisco Dumetz came from Mexico and 
were placed in charge of the mission. In 1774 the location was changed to a 
point about seven miles up the Valley of the San Diego river. A wooden 
church was constructed, 18x57 feet in size, roofed with tules, three small adobe 
buildings used for a store, a blacksmith shop and a dwelling. In 1775 new 
buildings were erected and a well dug. A ferocious attack was made upon 
the settlement by the Indians on the night of November 4th, 1775, all the 
buildings being destroyed and Father Jayme murdered. His body was found 
naked with twenty arrow wounds in the breast. Jose Manuel Arroyo, the black- 
smith, and the carpenter Ursulino were also killed. All three were buried in 
the chapel at the Presidio. Fathers de la Pena and Fuster resumed the mission 
work, h o 1 d i n g services at the 

store-house; a house for sick 

SAN DIEGO DB ALCALA. 

women ; a house for sick men ; 

sheds for wood and oxen ; two horses for the fathers ; a larder ; a guests' room 
and a kitchen." All were of adobe and with the soldiers" barracks these 
buildings formed three sides of a quadrangle of 165 feet. The fourth side 
consisted of an adobe wall fifteen feet high. There was a vat for use in 
tanning hides, two adobe corrals for sheep and one for cows. These were 
outside the regular mission enclosure. The cabins of the neophytes were of 
wood and grass. At this time there were seven hundred and forty neoi:)hytes, 
under missionary care. 

In 1793, a substantial granary of adobe, 96x24 feet, was built, and in 1795. 
the vineyard was surrounded with an adobe wall five hundred yards in length. 
This year saw also the commencement of an extensive system of irrigating 
ditches, remains of which can still be seen and constitute a valuable object lesson 
in ditch construction. About three miles of San Diego river was dammed back 
with a solid stone dam thirteen feet in thickness and coated with cement that 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 17 

became as solid as rock and remains so to this day. In the center of this 
dam was a gateway from which a stream of water, 12x24 inches, was carried 
through an aqueduct of tile and resting on a base of cobblestones and cement. 
This aqueduct for the major portion of the way was laid along the sides of a 
precipitous gorge and frequently crossed gulches from 15 to 20 feet wide, and 
as many feet deep. 

On May 25th, 1803, an earthquake occurred which damaged the church. 
In 1804, a new church was begun. It was completed and dedicated November 
1 2th, 181 3. It is the ruins of this building that we see today. The remains 
of Fathers Jayme, Figuer and Mariner were transferred from their old resting 
place and buried in one grave, though in separate coffins, between the altars of 
the church, Father Jayme resting nearest the altar of the Blessed Virgin. 

From the time of the establishment of San Diego in 1769 to 1834, the 
date of its secularization, there were 6638 persons baptized, 1879 marriages 
performed, and 4428 burials. In 183 1, the mission owned 8822 head of cattle, 
1 192 horses and 16,661 head of sheep. There were 1506 Indians on the roll 
of the mission January 6th, 1846, when an inventory of the mission property 
was taken. In June of the same year the mission lands were sold to Santiago 
Argiiello for past services to the United States government. His title was not, 
however, sustained and in accordance with a decision of the United States 
Land Commissioners, in 1856, based on the old Spanish law, that divided 
church property into two classes, sacred and ecclesiastical, and whereby sacred 
property could not be sold, San Diego Mission was returned to the church. 
" Sacred property" is defined as that which has been formally consecrated to 
God, such as churches, church buildings, vessels and vestments. The priests' 
houses and their gardens were thus included. According to this decision all 
church property that had been sold by Governor Pio Pico reverted to the church, 
while the ecclesiastic or mission lands were government propertv. 

San Diego Mission has been in part restored by the Auxiliary to the Land- 
marks Club. The ruins of the old dam, the irrigating system and garden walls 
are to be seen. Many of the original trees of the olive orchard are still standing 
and productive. The old olive press is also there. Down at the old towai of 
San Diego may be seen the ruins of the first Presidio buildings, relics of the 
century past. Two old mission bells hung suspended from a beam outside of 
one of the original buildings. 

SAN CARLOS BORREMEO DE MONTEREY. 

Mission San Carlos Borremeo de Monterey was founded June 3rd, 1770, 
on the inner shore of Monterey Bay, w^here the city of Monterey now stands, 
2 





A^ 


-o 


^'iff-r- 







18 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

the exact location being marked with the statue of Junipero Serra, erected by 
the late Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford. Near the bay shore stands a cross, 
indicating the landing place of Fathers Serra and Crespi and near by is the 
old oak tree upon a branch of which they hung the bell, and under which the 
christening services were held. The Indians of that locality were more 
timorous than those of the South, and progress in gaining their confidence was 
somewhat slow, but within about three years, one hundred and seventy-five 
had been gathered into the church. The situation and surroundings were not 

satisfactory, however, and a few 
months later the mission was removed 
about five miles to the mouth of El 
Carmel river, on the beautiful Bay 
of Carmel, and while the mission was 
thereafter known as San Carlos el 
Carmello, it officially retained its 
original title. 

At this new mission Fathers Serra 
and Crespi began the study of the 
SAN CARLOS BORREMEO DE MONTEREY j^^^jj^^^ lauguagc. Rev. Father Juan 

Crespi was a native of Spain, being sixty-one years of age at the time of his 
decease, January ist, 1783. He was buried near the main altar. It was here 
that Serra two years later passed away after a lingering illness, and his remains 
were laid beside those of Father Crespi. 

It was not until July 7th, 1793, that the first stone of the new church was 
laid. It was built of soft, straw-colored stone, quarried near by, laid in lime 
made from sea-shells, gathered along the sea-beach, the roof being of red tiles. 
The church was dedicated in 1797, and the remains of this building, restored 
through the efforts of the Rev. Father Cassanova, pastor of Monterey, are to 
be seen today. On July 3rd, 1882, Father Cassanova opened the tombs. 
This was evidently done to reassure the world of the recorded fact that the 
sacred remains of those true disciples of Christ and pioneers of California, 
founders of the Missions, were there. At the services, the following entries 
from the parish records were read : 

" Rev. Fr. Juan Crespi; born in Spain; died Jany. ist, A. D. 1782, 61 years 
old, buried near the main altar, gospel side." "Rev. Fr. Junipero Serra, D. D., 
President of all the Missions ; born in Majorca, Spain ; died on the 28th of 
August, A. D. 1784, at the age of 71 years, buried in the Sanctuary, fronting 
the altar of Our Lady of Seven Dolores, on the gospel side." " Rev. Fr. Julian 
Lopez, born in Spain; died here on the 15th of July, A. D. 1797, aged 35 years; 
buried in the Sanctuary, on the gospel side, in the tomb near the wall on the 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



19 



left." "Rev. Fr. Francisco Lasuen, Vic. for Second President of the Missions, 
born in Spain, died here, and is buried in the Sanctuary, on the gospel side, in 
a stone tomb, near the main altar, June 28th, 1803." 

The heavy stone slabs having been removed before the ceremony began, 
the coffin in each tomb was left visible. The lids of each was then raised 
and the people then viewed the remains of which only the clothing and the 
skeletons were seen. The tombs were then covered as before with the stone 
slabs. The coffins were of unplaned redwood boards, and all but that of Father 
Lasuen in a good state of preservation. 

When the restoration of the old mission church was commenced in 1882, 
the tile roof had fallen in, the walls were crumbled, and grass had grown upon 
the tiled floor. The resting place of the founder of the California missions 
was completely obliterated. 

Through the untiring efforts of Father Cassanova, and his band of 
sympathizers, the tomb of Serra and his beloved co-worker. Father Crespi, are 
in fairly good repair. Services are held here once a month by the resident 
priest of Monterey, and upon each occasion the old mission bell is rung. 



SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA. 

The Mission San Antonio de Padua (Saint Anthony of Padua), now a 
mass of ruins, was founded by Father Junipero Serra, July 14, 1771, under 
most auspicious circumstances. The ringing of bells attracted an Indian, and 
instead of hiding in fear, he remained to witness the ceremony of dedication, 
and later brought his companions in large numbers to meet the missionaries. 

This mission is located in a beauti- 
fully oak-studded glen, in the Santa 
Lucia Mountains, and near the Sa- 
linas River, in Monterey County. 
Father Serra named the valley Los 
Robles. The present ruins are those 
of the second church, which was 
built in the year 1809 or 1810, and 
was extended by adobe structures 
several times. The Indians assisted 
Fathers Buenaventura, Sit jar and 
Miguel Pieras in erecting the first temporary structure, which was unusual. 

San Antonio became famous for its piety, prosperity and its splendid 
horses. In 1805 it had a population of 1261 neophytes. An inventory of 
property made in 1835, when the mission was secularized, showed the valuation 
of buildings and vineyards to be $90,000.00, but in 1845 it was invoiced at only 




SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA. 



20 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

$8,000.00. and the membership had declined to ten men and five women. Mrs. 
Forbes writes in 1904 that, "At present the roof of the mission building has 
fallen in and the last room is ready to collapse. The relics have all been 
stolen or removed to other places, with the exception of one iron kettle used 
by the Fathers in cooking soup for the Indians. ( )nly one family of the 
original Indians of the Valley remain, and they live many miles from the 
mission. The tree upon which Father Serra hung the bell when the first chapel 
was founded still stands beside the road, leading up to the mission. Near by 
the mission flows Mission creek, a branch of the San Antonio river. In mission 
davs the Padres constructed a dam across the river, and its water was diverted 
to irrigate the mission lands. At one time San Antonio rivalled San Juan 
Capistrano, San I^iis Rey and Santa Barbara in prosperity and importance. 
The buildings were extensive. Long cloisters, arches and broken walls and 
tiled roofs now remain to tell the story of architectural grandeur." 

SAN GABRIEL ARCANGEL. 

The Mission San Gabriel Archangel was founded September 8th, 1771, 
by Fathers Angel Somera and Pedro Benito Cambon. The first mission site 
was located about five miles south of the present mission on the bank of the 
San Gabriel (then San Miguel) river. The first chapel was of logs cut to 
length, the desired height of the building, then split in two and set upright 
in a trench or ditch. The roof was made of tules and adobe mud. The 
dwellings of the priests and attendants were enclosed with a stockade of similar 
construction which, however, was soon replaced with an adobe wall. Not a 
vestige of this first mission of San Gabriel remains, and it is even quite 
uncertain as to its exact location. 

By reason of danger from floods, from the river's overflow, low-land frosts 
and poor drainage, the mission was moved to its present site, then as now, a 
most charming location, in the midst of a belt of live oak, on warm and 
responsive soil. The date of removal to the new site is unknown, but it must 
have been about 1775, since Junipero Serra in his second annual report of 
1774 indicates his intention to move San Gabriel Mission a short distance and 
states that for that reason no permanent improvements had been made on 
the old site. 

The stone church which is now the admiration of visitors was half finished 
in 1704, and had not been completed in 1800. It was first built with an arched 
roof, in which cracks soon appeared. When these were repaired an earthquake 
reojiened them. The arched roof was then removed and a new roof of timbers 
and tiles substituted in 1804. The valley was fertile and Indians were 
numerous btit were seemingly slow to embrace the religion of the Friars, since 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



21 



only seventy-three baptisms were recorded the first two years. Up to the year 
1800, there were, however, 1078 neophytes attached to the mission. There 
had been 1953 baptisms, 869 burials and 396 marriages performed. Once 
e.stablished on the new mission site affairs seemed to take on new life and 
enterprise and set the pace for those missions already established and those to be. 
In 1806 Jose Marie Zalvidea, a man of great energy and executive ability, 
was transferred from San Fernando to San Gabriel. According to Hugo Reid : 
" He it was, who planted the large vineyards, intersected with fine walks, 
shaded fruit trees of every description, and rendered still more lovely by shrubs 
interspersed between ; who laid out the orange garden, fruit and olive orchards ; 
built the mill and dam; made fences of tunas (cactus) round the fields; made 
hedges of rose bushes ; planted trees in the mission square, with a flower garden 
and hour-dial in the center ; brought water from long distances, etc. He also 
remodeled the existent system of government. Every article must henceforth 
be in place, and every man at his station. Everything under him was 

that organization 
lash ! The people 
vided into class- 
Tliese included 
makers, tanners, 
penters, black- 
cooks, general 
fishermen, agri- 
and tile makers, 
ers, tallow melt- 
carters, cart- 




organized and 
kept up with a 
were now di- 
es and vocatioii.--. 
vaqueros, soap- 
shoemakers, car- 
smiths, bakers, 
servants, pages, 
culturists. brick 
musicians, sing- 
ers, vigherons, san gabriel arcangel 
makers, shepherds, poultry-keepers, pigeon-tenders, weavers, spinners, saddle- 
makers, store and key-keepers, deer hunters, deer and sheep-skin dressers, 
masons, plasterers, people of all work— everything but coopers, these were 
foreign ; all the rest were native Indians. 

" Large soap works were erected, tanning yards established, tallow works, 
bakery, cooper, blacksmith, carpenter and other shops. Large spinning rooms, 
where might be seen fifty or sixty women turning their spindles merrily, and 
looms for weaving wool, flax and cotton. Then large store rooms were allotted to 
the various articles, which were kept separate. For instance, wheat, barley, peas, 
beans, lentels, chick, peas, butter and cheese, soap, candles, wool, leather, flour, 
lime, salt, horse-hair, wine and spirits, fruit stores, etc., etc. Sugar-cane, flax and 
hemp were added to the other articles cultivated, but cotton wool was imported. 

" At an early period in the history of San Gabriel, a water-power mill, for 
grinding wheat, was constructed and put in operation in front of and near the 



22 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

mission building. At a later period, a new grist mill was built by the mission, 
and placed about two miles west of the mission proper. This was also operated 
by water-power. The building in which was placed the mill is still standing 
and is known as El Molino, the Spanish words for " The Mill." It is now 
the property of H. E. Huntington. A water-power saw-mill was also built by 
this mission, and was located near the last-mentioned grist-mill. These were 
the only mills made or used in California, either for grinding or sawing, in 
which water was the motive power, or in which a wheel was used, for more 
than half a century after the founding of the first mission. In these two grist- 
mills the revolving mill stone was upon the upper end of the vertical shaft, and 
the water-wheel upon the lower end, so that the revolution of the stone was no 
more frequent than that of the water-wheel. They did no grading or separating 
of the flour in these mills. This process, if done at all, was done with hand sieves." 

" The principal ranchos belonging at that time to San Gabriel were San 
Pasqual, Santa Anita, Azusa, San Francisquito, Cucamonga, San Antonio, San 
Gorgonio, Yucaipa, Jurupa, Guapa, Rincon, Chino, San Jose, Ybarras, Puente, 
Mission Vieja, Serranos, Rosa Castillo, Coyotes, Jaboneria, Las Bolsas, Alamitos 
and Serritos. 

"The principal head (Major-domo) commanded and superintended over 
all. Claudio Lopez was the famed one during Padre Zalvidea's administration, 
and although only executing the priest's plans, in the minds of the people he 
is the real hero Ask any one who made this, or who did that, and the answer on 
all sides is the same: ' El difunto Claudio!' Great credit is due him for carrying 
out without flogging the numerous works intrusted to him. There were a great 
many other major-domos under him for all kinds of work, from tending of horses 
down to those of superintending crops, and in charge of vineyards and gardens. 

" Indian alcaldes were appointed annually by the padre, and chosen from 
among the very laziest in the community, he being of the opinion that they took 
more pleasure in making the others work than would industrious ones, and from 
my own observation this is correct. They carried a wand to denote their 
authority, and an immense scourge of rawhide about ten feet in length, plaited 
to the size of an ordinary man's wrist. They did a great deal of chastisement. 

" The unmarried women and girls were kept as nuns, imder the supervision 
of an abbess, who slept with them in a large room. Their occupations: some- 
times they served, at others they cleaned weeds from out of the gardens with 
hoes, worked at the ditches or gathered in the crops. The best looking youths 
were kept as pages to attend at the tables and those of most musical talent were 
reserved for church service. 

"The number of hogs was great. They were principally used for making 
soap. (The Indians, with a few exceptions, refused to eat pork.) Near the 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 23 

mission at San Francisquito (San Fernando Mission) were kept the turkeys of 
which they had large numbers. The dove-cote was alongside of the soap works, 
in an upper story, affording plenty of dung to cure leather and skins with. 

" The padre had an idea that finery led Indians to run away, for which 
reason he never gave either men or women any other clothing (including skirts 
and petticoats) than coarse frieze (xerga) made by themselves, which kept 
the poor wretches all the time diseased with the itch. If any handkerchiefs or 
cotton goods were discovered among them the same were immediately committed 
to the flames. He was an inveterate enemy to drunkenness, and did all in his 
power to prevent it, but to no purpose. He never flogged, however, while the 
influence of liquor lasted, but put them into stocks, under the care of a guard 
until sober. Finding the lash, alone, was of no avail, he added warm water 
and salt to the dose, which was given as a drink until it ran out of the mouth 
again. It was no use. The disease was as incurable as consumption. 

" Having found out the game practiced in regard to destroying the children 
borne by Indian women to white men, he put down all miscarriages to the same 
cause. Therefore, when a woman had the misfortune to bring forth a still-born 
child, she was punished. The penalty inflicted was shaving the head, flogging 
for fifteen subsequent days, iron on the feet for three months, and having to 
appear every Sunday in church on the steps leading up to the altar, with a 
hideous painted wooden child in her arms. He had no predilections for wizards, 
and generally (as some one or other was always reporting evil of them) kept 
them chained together in couples and well flogged. There were, at that period, 
no small number of old men rejoicing in the fame of witchcraft, so he made 
sawyers of them all, keeping them like hounds in couples and so they worked, 
two above and two below in the sawpit. On a breach occurring between man 
and wife, they were fastened together by the leg until they agreed to live in 
harmony. He was not only severe, but he was in his chastisements most cruel. 
So as not to make a revolting picture, I shall bury acts of barbarity, known to 
me through good authority, by merely saying that he must assuredly have 
considered whipping as meat and drink to them, for they had it morning, noon 
and night. Although so severe to the Indians, he was kind, in the extreme, 
to travelers and others. There being so much beef, mutton, pork and poultry, 
with fruits, vegetables and wine, a splendid public table was spread daily, at 
which he presided." 

J. J. Warner, in 1889, furnished the writer the following, as setting forth 
the usual dinner served daily at San Gabriel Mission during the years of its 
prosperity: First course: Caldo (plain broth in which meat and vegetables had 
been boiled). Second course: La Olla (meat boiled with vegetables and served 
separately). Third course: El Bondigas (forced meat balls in gravy). Fourth 
course: Guisados (stews, generally two). Fifth course: Azado (roasts — beef. 



24 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

mutton, game, fowls). Sixth course: Fruit and sweetmeat. Seventh course: 
Tea, coffee, cigarritos. Pork was also eaten sparingl)^ at every meal. Wine 
was served ad libitum. On Friday, fish followed the caldo, and the meats were 
dispensed with. Horses to ride were ever at their service, and a good bed to 
sleep on at night. Whenever ready to start, either up or down the coast, horses 
and a servant were ever at their command to go as far as the next mission." 

Having brought the establishment and everything connected with it to the 
climax of perfection, Zalvidea had still calculated on doing more. He purchased 
large quantities of iron, with the intention of railing in all vineyards and 
gardens. But, alas ! even Catholic societies are not proof against the " capital 
sins " they so strongly condemn. Envy and jealousy stepped in and prevailed. 
He was ordered by his superior to the mission of San Juan Capistrano. The 
loss of his favorite hobby capsized his reason, and after lingering for many 
years in a disturbed religious state of mind he at length expired, regretted by 
all who knew his worth and gigantic intellect. 

During his pastorate, Zalvidea also mastered the Indian language, and 
reduced it to grammatical rules, being the first padre in this section having 
either the ability or energy necessary for such a task. He translated the church 
service, and preached each Sabbath in the native tongue. His translation of 
the Lord's Prayer, commencing " Ayoinac," "Our Father," is said by Mr. Reid 
to be a " a grand specimen of his eloquence and ability." He thus gave the 
natives an insight into the Catholic faith, but did not alter their own one iota. 
Those who came after him were too indolent to keep up the reforms he had 
inaugurated. For a time sermons were translated sentence by sentence, to the 
congregation ; but this was soon discontinued, probably to the great relief of 
the unfortunate listeners. 

Zalvidea was succeeded by Padre Jose Bernardo Sanchez, his former 
colleague and assistant, who is described as having been " of a cheeerful disposi- 
tion, and a frank and generous nature." He was also a great sportsman and 
capital shot. " In ecclesiastical affairs, solemn ; in trade, formal ; in government 
of the mission, active, lively, and strict ; in social intercourse, friendly, full of 
anecdote, and fond of jokes; even to those of a practical nature." 

"The regulations enforced by his predecessor were still observed under 
Sanchez, but while the lash was still ready, other modes of punishment Avere 
adopted for minor offenses. Nor was such leniency barren of good results, for 
many Indians who had formerly proven insubordinate from mere vindictiveness 
of spirit, now refrained because of the love and good will which all bore toward 
their spiritual and temporal ruler. 

" Supplies for the mission were purchased in large quantities, frequently 
amounting to $30,000 at one time. These purchases consisted of domestics 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 25 

(brown, bleached and printed), flannels, cloths, ribbons, silks, hosiery, sugar, 
panoche, rice, etc., etc. These articles were distributed in two stores, from 
whence they were dealt out to the natives, or sold to the public. The people 
were now better dressed than formerly. The coarse frieze (xerga) of the 
women was used only as sweat-cloths for horses ; and all the native ladies 
appeared at church in full-blown glory of fancy petticoats, clean white chemises, 
variegated kerchiefs on their head, and rebosos around their shoulders. The 
men had pants, jackets, hats, and fancy silk sashes. Even the children plumed 
themselves in gay colors, and sported shirts and kerchiefs. 

Married people were provided with sheets for their beds, and even curtains. 
The major-domo visited each house weekly to see that all was kept clean, and 
the priest made a similar round in person once a month. Rations, with wine and 
spirits (and occasionally a few dollars in money) were distributed once a week; 
but in addition to this, daily food was provided ready cooked, for the laborers. 
We quote further from Mr. Reid's letters : 

" The mission bell, on being rung, aroused the alcaldes from their slumbers, 
and these with loud voices soon set all the world agog. Alass was now heard, 
and again the bell rang to work. At eleven its notes proclaimed dinner, when 
in all flocked, basket in hand, to receive posale and a piece of beef. (Posale 
consisted of beans boiled with corn or wheat.) At twelve o'clock they were 
again warned to their labors, which concluded a little before sundown, to afford 
them time to receive supper, which consisted of ' atolc ' or mush. If a gang 
were at a distance, a copper kettle and attendant accompanied them and provided 
food on the spot. 

" After twelve o'clock on Saturdays soap was distributed, and all the world 
went a washing of clothes and persons, to make a decent appearance at church 
on Sunday. Saturday night was devoted to playing pco)i, and, with few excep- 
tions, none slept; for whites and Indians, men, women and children, were all 
generally present. 

" After service on Sunday, foot-ball and races took place, and in the after- 
noon a game called ' Shindy ' by the Scotch, and ' Bandy ' by the English, was 
played, with men and women on opposite sides. People flocked in from all 
parts to see the sport and heavy bets were made. The priest took great interest 
in the game and, as the women seldom had less than half a dozen quarrels among 
them, in which hair flew by the handfuls, he was the more pleased. The game 
being concluded, all went to prayers and so ended the Sabbath." 

The general statistics of the Mission of San Gabriel for the whole period 
of its existence of sixty-three years (from 1771 to 1834) are thus given by 
Bancroft : Total number of baptisms. 7,854, of which 4.355 were Indian adults, 
2,459 Indian children, and i adult and 1.039 children of " gente de razon," 



26 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

which may mean the Spaniards and their mixed-blooded descendants. Total 
marriages, 1,955; o^ which 241 were " gente de razon." Total deaths, 5,656; 
of which 2,896 were Indian adults, 2,363 Indian children, 211 adults and 186 
children " de razon." Annual average, 88 ; annual average death rate, 7.61 per 
cent, of population. Largest population, 1,701, in 1817. There was a slight 
excess of males down to 1803, and a greater excess later. The proportion of 
children varied from one-eighth per cent, at first to one-tenth per cent, at the 
last. Largest number of cattle, 26,300, in 1828; horses, 2,400, in 1827; mules, 
205, in 1814; asses, 6 in 1794; sheep, 15,000, in 1829; goats, 1,380 in 1785; 
swine, 300, in 1802, 1803 and 1822; all kinds, 40,360 animals, in 1830. Total 
product of wheat, 225,942 bushels; yield, 16 fold. Barley (for only eleven 
years), 1,250 bushels; yield, 10 fold. Maize, 154,820 bushels; yield, 145 fold. 
Beans, 14,467 bushels ; yield, 28 fold. In the year 1834, at the time of seculariza- 
tion, there were 163,579 vines in four vineyards, and 2,333 fi'wit trees. 

All statistics stop with the attempted secularization of the mission in 1834. 

In 1832, Governor Echandia sent an envoy to San Gabriel Mission, demand- 
ing a loan, which was refused. The store house was broken open and the money 
in gold coin forcibly taken and never returned. Secularization soon followed, 
and the mission, with upwards of 42,000 head of live stock and gold in sacks 
passed into the control of the Mexican government, and like all the other 
missions suffered temporal and spiritual destruction. 

In June, 1846, the mission estate was sold by Governor Pico to Reid and 
Workman. The title was not, however, confirmed, and the property returned 
to the church. In 1847 Father Bias Ordaz took charge of the mission and 
ministered to the few Indians then remaining, until his death, 1850. It is since 
secularization, a parish church only, and is now presided over by a parish priest, 
who holds regular services. 

SAN LUIS OBISPO DE TOLOSO. 

On the first of September, 1772, Fathers Junipero Serra and Cavalier 
founded San Luis Obispo, the fifth mission in California, in honor of St. Louis, 
Bishop of Toulouse. The history of this mission is a remarkable evidence of 
the energy and religious zeal of these men of God. Father Serra departed the 
second day, leaving Father Cavalier, two Lower California Indians, and five 
soldiers, to commence the work of establishing a mission. Their supplies con- 
sisted of fifty pounds of flour, three pecks of wheat and a barrel of brown 
sugar — the sugar to be used in bartering with the native Indians for further 
supplies. The Indians proved friendly, supplied the missionary with venison, 
seeds and wild berries, and in many ways helped the Padres. A little chapel 
and dwelling were soon erected. But Father Cavalier remained alone at his post 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



27 



for one year. Then four immigrant families and a few unmarried Christians 
came to San Luis Obispo to make it their home. In November, 1776, the 
buildings, except the chapel and granary, were destroyed by fire, the Indians 
having thrown burning arrows upon the tule roofs. Twice again in ten years the 
buildings were on fire from the same cause. For this reason tiles were adopted 
for rool^ng, at all the missions, instead of the dangerous but economical tules. 

The adobe church was finished in 

1793 ; other spacious buildings such as 
barracks, a missionary's house, work- 
house, guardhouse, granary, etc., were 
added the following year. Huts for 
the natives were comfortable and well 
l)uilt. A trained blacksmith, a carpen- 
ter and a millwright were sent to San 
Luis Obispo to instruct the Indians. 
Father Luis Martinez labored long 
and earnestly for the welfare of this 




SAX LUIS OBISPO DE TOLOSO. 



mission. He learned the Indian language and gave assistance, both to the troops 
and to other missions. Squirrels and locusts were extremely troublesome, and 
one crop was entirely eaten up by mice. In the inventory taken 1836, an item 
is made of the library and musical instruments, $519, and the total valuation 
was given at $70,779. On September loth, 1842, Governor Alvarado ordered 
the lands divided among the neophytes; and two years later the mission was 
formed into a pueblo. It was sold the following year (1845) to Scott. Wilson & 
McKierey for $510. However, Governor Mason ordered the property returned 
to the Catholic church. 

The mission church is located near the business center of San Luis Obispo, 
county of the same name, and it is in a good state of repair, being used, as it 
is, as the parish church. 



SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS. 

Mission San Francisco de Asis, better known as Mission Dolores, is the 
sixth mission founded in Alta California, and was formally dedicated October 
9th, 1776, by Fathers Palou, Cambon, Nocedal and Pena. Officers and soldiers 
of the Presidio were present. High mass was sung by Father Palou, the image 
St. Francis was exhibited, bells were rung, volleys of musketry rent the air, 
cannons and rockets from the good ship San Carlos, lying in the bay. were fired. 
The building was a comfortable house of wood, roofed with tules and plastered 
with clay. It measured about 54x30x15 feet. The first chapel blessed was at 
the presidio, on the 17th of September, on the Feast of Stigmata of St. Francis. 



28 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 




the patron saint of the port and missions, while the mission was named for the 
patron saint of the Franciscan order. 

'i'he name Dolores (sorrow) in this instance signifies the name of a stream 
or lagoon, a jjlace known as " the willows "' l)y those who came in 1849. This 
swamp was later filled in and graded, forming the tract that lies between 
Seventeenth, Nineteenth, \'alencia and Howard streets. The corner-stone for 

the present chnrch was laid 1782, 
and by 1795 adobe bnildings with 
tile roofs, forming two sides of a 
square were completed ; also a ditch 
protecting the potrero or cattle farm 
and fields, had been dug. 

Weaving looms were constructed 
by the Indians and a substantial 
though coarse kind of blanketing, 
was woven as clothing" for the 

SAX FRANCISCO DE ASIS. i - a- 1 M •<- 

neophytes. \ ancouver describes it 
as " cloth not to be despised, had it received the advantage of fulling." 
The ])roducts made and produced at Dolores Mission were soap, salt, wool, 
hides, wine, tallow and butter. The garden was not notable for its 
produce, the reason given being high winds and weather unfavorable to horti- 
culture. The climate proved detrimental to the Indians, and after a fierce 
epidemic of measles, a new mission known as the " hospital mission " was 
founded at San Rafael, across the bay, and 590 of the Indians were transferred 
to this place for a change of climate. Later 322 neophytes were sent to Solano. 
and it was thought best at one time to discontinue the mission at San Francisco 
altogether ; but the idea met stout opposition from Father President Sarria. 
Consef|uently a new mission, known as New San Francisco or Solano, was 
founded, and the old San Francisco, known as Dolores, was not abandoned. 
Dolores was not a prosperous mission, and rapidly declined after secularization. 
The Fathers baptized 6883 persons and buried 2089. The little church-yard at 
the side of the mission is small and sad. Few monuments mark the resting places 
of any of the 2000 and over, who lie sleeping in that small space. A tall shaft 
marks the grave of the first Mexican governor, Don Luis Antonio Arguello. 



SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO. 



The founding of the Mission San Juan Capistrano was accomplished under 
many discouragements. The first attempt was made by Fathers Lasuen and 
Amurrio on the 19th or the 30th of October, 1775. Dates given by Palou and 
Ortega diflfer. The first service was held in a hut of branches. A laree cross 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



29 




SAN JL'AN CAPlSTliANiJ. 



was erected and blessed, but nothing further was done at that time. The 
bells of Capistrano were taken down from the tree and buried. 

On November ist, 1776, a second attempt was made by Father Serra. A 
new altar was erected, mass was celebrated, and the seventh mission of California 
was founded, upon the site known by the Indians as Sajirit. Capistrano became 
prosperous, but did not excel either in number of converts or in wealth. In 

February, 1797, work was begun on 
the stone chapel, the ruins of which 
are standing today. It proved to be 
one of the grandest church buildings 
in California. It measured 159x30 
feet, was surmounted by a lofty 
tower, and all was of stone and 
mortar. The stones were not hewn, 
but were fitted together in the rough. 
The church was built with nave 
and transept with thick walls, and 
an arched, dome-like roof. Here and there remain evidence of decoration. 
Ten vears ago there still were wooden figures to be seen in many small niches 
and the carving showing ability and taste. It is to be regretted that these relics 
were carried away and not placed in the room used as the chapel. The stone 
church of San Juan Capistrano was dedicated September 7th, 1806. The cere- 
monv lasted three days, and visiting Padres and Indians came long distances, even 
as far as from Santa Barbara, to witness the ceremony. But the magnificent 
building was doomed to short service, for on the morning of December 8th, 
1812, a terrible earthquake shook it to its very foundation, causing the lofty 
tower to crash down upon the vaulted roof, precipitating the mass of stone and 
mortar down upon the worshipping congregation — for it was on Sunday morning. 
About fifty persons were present, and only ten escaped. Excavation for the 
recovery of the crushed and mangled bodies began at once, but nothing has ever 
been done toward restoring the building to its former grandeur. Capistrano was 
secularized in 1833, and even after the loss of the mission church the inventory 
placed the valuation of the mission at about $55,000; with debts of only $1410. 
In December, 1845, the mission buildings were sold to McKinley and Forster 
for $710.00. Juan Forster was in possession for twenty years, but after 
extended litigation, the Catholic church regained possession of the property. 



SANTA CLARA. 

The Mission of Santa Clara was founded January 12th. 1777. by Father 
Tomas de la Pena. O. S. F. The site was the present Laurel Wood Farm of 



30 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 




SANTA CI.ARA. 



by Don Ignacio Alviso, as foreman. 



Peter J. Donahue. The floods of 1778-9, however, obHged the Fathers to look 
for higher and safer grounds. They selected the " \'alley of the Oaks," a 
location some 150 yards to the southwest of the present Union depot of the 
town of Santa Clara. At the ceremony of the removal of the Santa Clara 
Mission to the second location, Father Serra was himself present, and officiated. 
The structures there were begun November 19th, 1781, and the second 

church and buildings were blessed 
and dedicated on May 15th, 1784. The 
earthquake of 181 2 cracked the walls 
of the church and the more severe 
" temblores " of 1818 completed the 
destruction. A third church was 
erected upon the present site of the 
mission church, and was dedicated on 
August nth, 1822, the eve of Santa 
Clara. This third church was the 
work of Father Jose Viader, assisted 
The original adobe walls of this church 
were replaced in 1885 by wooden ones. The single belfry, and the facade was 
replaced in 1862 by the present towers, and the present facades. But the 
interior, the ornamentations and furnishings are almost intact. These latter 
include the life-size crucifix, the original holy-water fonts, the pulpits of those 
early days, the copy of the miraculous and historic painting of " Nuestra Senora 
de Guadalupe," the identical reredos or background of the main altar, the 
tabernacle and candelabra-shelves, the wings of the latter itself ; the accompany- 
ing statues in wood of Saints Joachin and Ann, parents of Our Lady ; and like 
statues of Saints Juan Capistran and Colette. The reredos contain other statues 
and medallions. The church has the identical frescoed ceiling of the chancel. 
The paintings of the walls and ceilings of the interior are reproductions ; also 
the statue in wood of St. Francis of Asisi, with sacred stigmata on the hands 
and feet ; also that of St. Anthony of Padua, with the Infant Jesus in his arms. 
In the right hand belfry are the three old bells donated to the Santa Clara 
Mission by the King of Spain. Two bear the original dates, 1798 and 1799, 
and the third, which was recast in 1864, bears the double dates 1805-64. In 
the college library may be seen the historic paintings of " Alameda," the 
"Beautiful Way," "Santa Clara Mission in 1851 " and the grand old choral 
of those early days, with cover in bronze and wood. 

At the time of Vancouver's visit to Santa Clara, many of the Indians were 
engaged in building adobe houses for themselves. In 1794, twenty-three of 
these dwellings with thatched roofs were completed, and in 1798, nearlv all of 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



31 



the married neophytes were thus accommodated. Today not a mission Indian 
is to be found in or about Santa Clara. Here as at all other missions, seculari- 
zation with one blow ruined fifty years of faithful and patient work of the Padres. 

SAN BUENAVENTURA. 



The Mission of San Buenaventura Doctor Sarafico (Saint Bonaventura, 
Serafic Doctor) was founded Easter Sunday, March 30th, 1783, by Father 
Serra. It was the last mission that Father Serra founded, and he had intended 
it to be one of the first. The delay was a trial to the good man, but he com- 
forted himself with the saying, " the more slowly the more solemnly." The 
place chosen was the head of the Santa Barbara channel and the home of a large 
tribe of Indians. The Indians were friendly and even assisted in building a 
chapel, a house for Father Cambon, who was left in charge, and barracks for the 
soldiers. The group of buildings was, for greater safety, surrounded by 
a palisade. Within ten years San Buenaventura had become one of the 

most flourishing settlements in 

California. Van- -— couver, who vis- 

ited the mission ^^ in 1793, speaks 

of the wonderful ..^a^Vill " g'ardens, the 

fruits and vege- ...^g^tt^ ■ ' * tables. He men- 

pomegranates, r^^j|^^^^p|pppp,^„„,-^, cocoanut, sugar- 

cane, bananas, . plantain and even 

indigo; besides allof the ordinarv 

. "" . SAN BUENAVENTURA. , , , 

kitchen vege- tables, roots and 

herbs. A disastrous fire compelled the missionaries to erect all new buildings. 
The new church was built of stone and brick, and it is the one standing today. 
But the tile roof is gone. The earthquake of 1812 damaged the church and 
many buildings. The tower and much of the facade were rebuilt. The whole 
site of Buenaventura settled, and the fear of all sinking into the sea frightened 
the inhabitants away. They fled to San Joaquin y Santa Ana, where they 
remained for a year. Here the Priests erected a cajal, or Indian hut, to be 
used as a chapel. Upon their return to Ventura, the neophytes, under the 
direction of the Fathers, restored the buildings to a better condition than they 
were originally. In 1820 the government of Mexico owed to San Buenaventura 
$35' 1 70- There is no record that it was ever paid. They had purchased sup- 
plies from the mission, a cargo of hemp, and were in arrears in stipends to the 
Fathers for $6,200. In 1822 the Indians had individual gardens along the banks 
of the river, where they raised vegetables for sale. They labored and might 



32 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



have become self-supporting, for the mission establishments sold great quantities 
of produce and supplies to the home government as well as supplying their own 
demands at the missions. 

Secularization came in 1837. The mission estate was first rented for 
$1,630.00 per aniuim, and then sold to Jose Arnaz for $12,000, in June, 1846. 
His title was not recognized by the United States government. The records of 
San Buenaventura are interesting old documents. They show 3,857 baptisms, 
1,086 marriages, 3,098 deaths. In 1831 there were 7,240 hcatl of live stock. 
Today the old mission is the parish church of Ventura. 

SANTA BARBARA. 



Santa Barbara, (Mrgin and ^Martyr) was founded December 4th. 1786. by 
Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, who had been made IVesident of the Missions 
the previous year to succeed the lamented Junipero Serra. The site selected was 
called Taynayam by the natives, and El Pedragoso by the Spaniards. It was about 
one mile distant from the presido, which had been established in 1782 by Father 
Serra. The location of Santa Barbara is the most beautiful of all the missions. 
Back from the water's edge nearly two miles, it is situated in the foothills of the 
Santa Ynez mountains. It was from the hills of San Marcos that the great oak 
beams were carried by oxen (or more likely by faithful Indian neophytes) and 
used in the construction of the mission buildings. Chief Yanonalit, ruler of the 
thirteen neighboring rancherias, proved friendly and contributed Indians io 
assist in work, their labor to be paid for in articles of clothing and food. This 
was especially the arrangement for work on the presidio. The first chapel con- 
structed was of boughs. 

In the following year, 1787, a church building 15x42 feet, was made of 
adobe and thatched with straw. Six other Iniildings of the same kind were 
erected, and in 1788 tiles were manu- 
factured and all the buildings were 
covered with them. In 1789 the 
chapel had become too -small, and 
another was built. Again in 1793 a 
larger one was constructed, a fact 
which is evidence of prosperity. As 
the Indian population was gradually 
increasing, it became necessary to 
form a village and bnild a separate 
house for each family ; in consequence, 
nineteen houses were built of adobe in 1798. Also a piece of land was 
enclosed by an adobe wall nine feet high, and 3600 feet in extent ; to be used 




SANTA BAPJIAUA. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 33 

as a garden, orchard and vineyard. The wall was capped with tiles to protect 
it from the rain. In 1800 the village was laid out in streets and cross- 
streets, and there were over fifty houses. The neophytes were taught to weave 
blankets, to make soap, clothing, implements and many other necessary articles. 
By 1807 the town of Santa Barbara had 252 dwellings besides the store 
houses, and other necessary buildings, all enclosed on three sides by a 
high wall. 

In this year Santa Barbara dedicated a mission church at the station of 
Sagshpileel, a large rancheria near a laguna. This was known as San Miguel. 
Again in 1804 Santa Inez was formed because of the great number of susceptible 
Indians in this district. The number thus withdrawn from Santa Barbara 
Mission was over one hundred. 

The earthquake of 1812 badly damaged the mission building at Santa 
Barbara, so much so that the chapel building was torn down and replaced 
by a new stone edifice — the present structure. This new edifice was 
dedicated on September loth, 1820. The walls of the church, which is still 
used by the Fathers, are six feet in thickness and were made of hewn stone, 
strengthened by solid stone buttresses. The building is the most substantial of 
any of the missions in California. In June, 1846, the mission was sold to 
Richard S. Den for $7500, but the title was invalid. In 1852, a petition to 
establish a Franciscan convent or college, with a novitiate for the education 
of young men, was sent to Rome and was granted by the authorities. Santa 
Barbara Mission was selected for the purpose. Bishop Thaddeus Amat removed 
from the mission to the parish church, thus leaving the Fathers in possession. 
By this arrangement they will have perpetual use of the buildings, gardens, 
vineyard and two orchards. The inner garden of the Mission is the private 
park or retreat for the priests, and is closed to the public. With two notable 
exceptions, woman has never entered this garden. They were Mrs. Benjamin 
Harrison, wife of the then President of the United States, and Princess Louise 
Marchioness of Lome. The East garden, comprizing about one acre of land, 
is a part of the old burying ground and contains over four hundred bodies, one 
buried upon another. It is a beautiful spot, covered with roses, geraniums, rare 
plants and trees. 

The most valued treasure of Santa Barbara is a portion of the true 
cross brought from the Holy Land. The Mission archives are of inestimable 
value to California history. The library contains massive books of parch- 
ment, illuminated, and rare old manuscripts, descriptive of life and scenes 
of early days in this country. When the missions secularized, books, manu- 
scripts and most valuable records were sent to Santa Barbara Mission for safe 
keeping and many still remain there. Huge chests are filled with gorgeous 
robes and vestments, many of them made of richest brocades. 
3 




34 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

LA PURISIMA CONCEPCION. 

December 8th, 1787, Father Lasuen founded the Mission of La Purisima 
Concepcion in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. 
It is situated on the Santa Ynez river. The first church building was replaced 

by a new one of adobe with tile 

roof in 1795. Father Payeras, with 

the aid of interpreters, completed in 

1810, a catechism and manual of 

confession in the Indian language. 

This was of greatest advantage to 

the neophytes in the study of religion. 

However, there remained at this time 

no more Indians nearer than twenty- 

LA PURISIMA CONCEPCION. fl^c Or thirty leagues away, to 

be converted. In 181 5 Father Payeras became president of the California 

missions, but he continued to reside at Purisima, instead of repairing to San 

Carlos del Carmelo. 

Early on the morning of December 12th, 181 2, a violent earthquake shook 
the church walls out of plumb, a second shock about 11 o'clock destroyed the 
chapel completely, and nearly all of the mission buildings, besides about 100 
of the neophyte houses. Rents in the earth from which black sand and water 
oozed, added to the peril. Huts of wood and grass were erected for tem- 
porary use. Later the mission was moved to a position farther up the river, 
The first church building erected here was destroyed by fire and another 
one erected and dedicated October 4th, 1825, the remains of which are to be 
seen today. It is a long, low structure, and had twenty-one rooms. There 
were twelve smaller buildings about it. The church ornaments were valued 
in 1834 at nearly $5000 ; the library at $655 ; there were five bells, worth 
$1000. In fact, the mission property, live-stock and ranchos were valued at 
over $60,000. In 1845 it was sold by the Governor to John Temple for 
$1,110; and La Purisima was abandoned by its rightful owners, the Indians, 
and the Padres. 

The location is about three miles from the town of Lompoc, in Santa 
Barbara county. 

SANTA CRUZ. 

Santa Cruz, the Mission of the Holy Cross, was formally established by Don 
Hermenegildo Sal, on Sunday, September 25, 1791. The site had been selected 
and blessed by Father Lasuen, August 28, on the day of San Augustin. Near 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



35 



by was a fine stream in the Arroyo de Pedro Regalado, which is now known as 
Rio San Lorenzo. Huts were built by the Indians, land was prepared, and wheat 
sown. The founding of the mission was most favorable, as many of the Indians 
came and ofifered to help with the work, while their chief, Sugert, presented him- 
self, with a few of his followers, and promised to become the first Christian of his 
tribe, and Sal agreed to be godfather. In the history of the founding of the mis- 
sion, it is an interesting fact that frequently everything wherewith to establish a 
new mission was contributed as a loan by the other missions. In this instance 
Santa Clara contributed 64 head of cattle, 22 horses, -j-j fanegas of grain, and 26 
loaves of bread. San Francisco gave five yoke of oxen, 70 sheep and two bushels 
of barley. San Carlos gave eight horses and seven mules. The vestments and 
sacred vessels w^ere loaned by other missions, also tools and implements, until 
those intended for Santa Cruz should arrive from Mexico. The mission was 
beautifully situated, near the waters of the Bay of Monterey, and as a background 
there was a dense forest. Although the founding was auspicious, the mission 
never became an important or even flourishing establishment, because of the 



close proximity 
tion of Branci- 
became the town 
At the present 
all of the un- 
tions of the con- 
appeared as whol- 
old mission build- 
Santa Cruz of to- 
fornia's charm- 




SANTA CRUZ. 



of the penal sta- 
forte, which later 
of Santa Cruz, 
date, however, 
pleasant associa- 
vict life have dis- 
ly as have the 
ings, and the 
day is one of Cal- 
ine resorts. The 



corner-stone of the mission church was laid February 27, 1793. The building was 
120x30 feet. The walls were of stone to the height of three feet, the front was 
of masonry, and the rest of adobe. In 181 2 Father Andres Ouintana was brutally 
murdered by nine or ten of the Mission Indians. Though sick himself, he left 
his room at night to call upon a man said to be dying. On the way home he was 
murdered. It was two years before the murderers were apprehended and pun- 
ished. Their defense was that of cruelty on the part of the father; but the fact 
that he had left his sick bed to minister to a dying man belied the accusation, and 
the murderers were condemned to work in chains from two to ten years. Only 
one survived the punishment. When Santa Cruz was secularized, in 1835, ten 
thousand dollars of the church money was divided among the neophytes. In 1839 
Hartnell found but seventy of the Indians remaining, and all of the money gone. 
Of the mission itself there is now hardly a trace. The portion of a tile-covered 
shed in the rear of the present church is all that remains. A few relics, among 
them two mission books used bv the Indians, may be seen in the church. 



36 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 
LA SOLEDAD. 



The Mission of "Our Lady of Solitude" ("Soledad"), was founded 
October 9th. 1791, by Father Lasuen. The sites for Soledad and Santa Cruz 
were selected upon the same trip. Governor Portola named this lonely spot 
Soledad in 1769. but it was not until 1797 that the adobe structure with its 

roof of straw, which was known as 
the chapel of Soledad, was com- 
pleted. Later a tiled roof and corri- 
dors were added. Soledail became a 
flourishing Christian settlement, but 
after the secularization in 1835, so 
great was the devastation and ruin 
that the venerable Father Vincente 
Sarria, who had labored for the mis- 
sion for thirty years, and who refused 
to leave his post of duty or the remaining Indians, died here in 1835, the year 
of the secularization, of starvation and want. June 4th, 1846, Soledad Mis- 
sion was sold to Feliciano Soberanes for $800, yet the inventory of '35 had 
shown a valuation of $36,000, besides the church property. 

A heap of ruins standing alone in an open field, used for the growing of 
grain, is all that today remains of Soledad Mission. The Indians called the 
place Chuttusgelis, but the Spaniards called it Solitude. 









1 


«. 


■1 


I'-' ■-■ ..... 




.m^ifl 



LA SOLEDAD. 



SAN JOSE. 

Mission San Jose was founded June 11, 1797, Trinity Sunday. By an 
order from the College of Fernando, Mexico, the new mission was dedicated 
to St. Joseph, the foster-father of Our Lord. A wooden structure with grass 
roof was quickly constructed, and Father Barcenilla was left in charge. San 
Jose was founded by Father Lasuen. The northern missions contributed very 
generously toward the establishment 
of the new one. They sent 12 mviles, 
12 }oke of oxen, 39 horses, 242 sheep 
and 60 ])igs. The Indians from the 
adjacent hills proved to be treach- 
erous and cruel. Father Cueva after 
having labored five years among them, 
was cruelly attacked, wounded and 
almost killed. He had been called a 
long distance from the mission, about 



^^ 










i 


,.-.^. .a^ ^M»^&^ 


Jl 


^■ 




. -^^m 




[— 


1^ 


p^ 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



17 



fifteen miles, to attend to some sick neophytes. Upon arriving at the rancheria, 
the natives attacked him and his guard with arrows, kilhng the guard, a soldier 
and three neophytes and wounding Father Cueva. On account of the treachery 
of the Indians, and their having made several attempts to do injury to the padres 
and to the buildings, the houses were soon reconstructed, and made of brick from 
the excellent brick-earth near by. There are chalk hills near San Jose, and 
everywhere the soil is rich and fertile. The establishment was never extensive 
nor imposing, yet at one time Mission San Jose had a greater number of neo- 
phytes than any other mission in California, with the single exception of San 
Luis Rey. The illustration shows the mission as it was years ago, and gives 
some idea of the plan of the establishment. San Jose was never wealthy^ but 
still they could order a bell weighing looo pounds, and that was considered a 
luxury. At the time of the secularization the church property was valued at 
$155,000 over and above the debts. On May 5th, 1846, San Jose Mission was 
sold to Andres Pico and J. B. Alvarado, for $12,000, bv Governor Pio Pico. 



SAN JUAN BAUTISTA. 

The Mission of San Juan Bautista was built on the edge of a mesa, over- 
looking a fertile valley, of what is now San Benito county, in San Juan Valley, 
about seven miles from Hollister, the county seat. It was 200x70' feet on the 
ground and height of walls was forty-five feet, being higher than most of the 
mission churches. Each of the walls were supported by four buttresses. 
Those on the 
standing; one re- 
back ; while the 
west is covered 
lumber, to sup- 
tect it from the 
The church was 
and transepts, 
divided by seven 
which have been 
s u lu a b 1 y to 
building. There 

over the door entrance at the front. The church is lighted with eight quaint 
little windows, with glass of small panes about five inches square. 

The baptismal font, carved from sandstone, stands about three feet high, 
and is three feet in diameter, and over it hangs an ancient picture of the baptism 
of Christ. The principal altar is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and is very 
gaudily frescoed and painted. Statues of redwood, one life-size of St. John, 




SAN JUAX BAUTISTA. 



northeast are still 
m a i n s at the 
entire wall on the 
^\dth red w o o d 
port and to pro- 
elements, 
built with a nave 
The nave is sub- 
arches, five of 
walled in, pre- 
strengthen t h e 
is a choir loft 



38 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

and four smaller ones, are executed with rare talent and artistic effect. That 
they are of our native woods proves that the padres, Indians, or perchance a 
Mexican, who dwelt at the mission, was more than ordinarily gifted in carving. 

In the mission gardens are pear trees, planted a century ago. The cemetery, 
one acre in size, is full to the limit. In many graves are said to be buried six 
bodies, one above the other. In all, 4,557 bodies are there interred. An old 
sun dial in the garden is an object of interest, carved from sandstone long be- 
fore the day of clocks in this country. It was originally intended for San 
Felipe and is therefore one second slow for San Juan Bautista. 

The site of San Juan, was selected as early as 1786, but the church of San 
Juan Bautista was not established until June 24, 1797, the day dedicated to the 
patron saint, John the Baptist. Work upon the chapel and the various build- 
ings was begun immediatel}'. It took hundreds of workers fifteen years to 
complete the task, and the chapel was dedicated by Father President Esteban 
Tapis, June 25, 1812. The establishment was so constructed as to form a court 
200 feet square with buildings on three sides of it, and a high wall on the 
fourth. The material used was adobe (sun-dried brick) and ladiello, a kind of 
brick that was frequently used for flooring, and was made in a subterranean kiln. 
Adobes are made of certain mud mixed with straw or tough grass. Being 
thoroughly kneaded by hand or trodden by foot it is molded in the desired shape 
and dimensions and dried in the sun. Size, 16x30x4 inches and weight about 
50 pounds. The ladellos were 8x12x2 inches, and after baking in a kiln were 
very hard. The old floor at this mission is more than a century old, and is in 
fair condition. The buildings were originally roofed with tile, a portion of 
which has given place to shingles until such a time as the tile can be restored. 
The walls of San Juan have been allowed to retain the delicate tint of the cinnabar 
that colored the mortar, and left an effect that no after-tinting can successfully 
imitate. 

The fine music of San Juan was a feature of the mission and a reason of 
its success. A chime of nine bells once called to worship. Onlv one of these 
now remains. A second one was cast from two of the originals in 1874, but 
lacks the sweet tone of the old ones. The other six bells have been given to 
other churches. An interesting and ingenious attachment to the original chime 
of bells is an old wooden wheel, with hollow arms, about two inches square, 
hung on an axle. Between each two arms is hung a wooden clapper, and as 
the wheel revolves, these clappers successively rap on the hollow arms. This 
wheel was used to call the people to worship upon occasions when the Catholic 
church rings no bells and could be heard at a great distance. 

The Padres placed a small organ (the first brought to California), on an 
elevation overlooking the valley, and swiftly turned the crank, and when the 
Indians first heard the strange sounds, they fell upon their faces in fear ; but as 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 39 

the music continued their fear left them and they began to enjoy the sweet 
sounds. Finally they slowly approached the hill and gradually gathered about 
the Padre and the wonderful singing box and listened with delight. After play- 
ing for an hour or more, he offered them sweets and told them that he had 
come to live among them, and the good man received a hearty welcome. The 
box is a hand organ standing about A^z feet high. It has tin pipes and was 
built by Benjamin Dodson, 22 Swan Street, London, England, in 1735. It was 
brought to San Juan in 1797. It became disabled, and was removed to the 
storehouse of the mission, where it remained for many years, when a wandering 
tinker stopped at the mission for something to eat and repaired it. Father Tapis, 
the priest of San Juan, composed a great deal of music for the California 
missions. Three large volumes of his work remain at this mission alone. 
Much of the music is on parchment, and in bold, clear characters. 

The chapel of San Juan Bautista could accommodate one thousand or 
more worshippers, and in prosperous days the capacity was frequently taxed 
to its fullest. The mission possessed extensive lands and great herds. 
Between the years 1797 and 1835, 4,100 persons were baptized. When the 
crash of secularization came, the inventory showed a valuation of $147,413. 
In 1846, San Juan was sold for debt. There are many choice mementoes at 
San Juan church — ancient candlesticks of curious pattern, the old bass viol, 
the rude music stand, a violin past all music, the old organ, vestments, robes 
and sheet music, torn and faded, but dear to the devout and interesting to 
the historian. Today it is an impoverished parish church — but nevertheless 
one of the most interesting and artistic relics of the mission period. 

SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL. 

The Mission of San Miguel (St. Michael, the Arcangel), " the most glorious 
prince of the heavenly militia," was founded on July 25, 1797, by Father Lasuen, 
assisted by Father Buenaventura Sit jar. The site chosen was a beautiful spot 
on the Salinas River called by the Indians Vahia, or Vatica, and by the Spaniards 
Las Pozas. Father Lasuen says that a great multitude of Indians gathered 
about with pleased expression, while he held the first service that founded the 
Mission of San Miguel. The chapel consisted of the wide-spreading branches 
of an old oak tree. A wooden church with mud roof, was soon erected, and it 
was not replaced with the present structure until 1800. In 1801, three Indians 
attempted to poison Fathers Martin and Carnicer. Father Pujol, who came 
from San Carlos to attend the sick missionaries, was also poisoned, and died, 
while the two whom he came to minister unto recovered. In 1806, a fire 
occurred, which destroyed all the implements belonging to the mission, all of the 
raw material, large quantities of wool, hides, cloth, and 6000 bushels of wheat ; 
besides doing great damage to the building. The other missions contributed 



40 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



to the relief of the burned San Miguel. The largest enrollment at this mis- 
sion was in 1814, when there were 1076. Total number of baptisms was 
2588, and the largest number of cattle owned at one time was 10,558, in 
1822. All this bespeaks the prosperity of the establishment. In 1819 Father 
Cabot made a safe journey into the valley of the Tulares, a thing quite unusual, 
and a proof of the safety of the country at that period. When the Indians 

of San Miguel were consulted re- 
garding the scheme of secularization, 
they expressed themselves as de- 
cidedly in favor of the missionary 
fathers and their system. Their pref- 
erence was of no avail, and the mis- 
sion was confiscated in 1836, with a 
valuation of $82,000. By 1845 ^11 
property had disappeared, except the 
buildings, valued at $5800, which 
were ordered sold by Governor Pico. 
The sale was made July 4th, 1846, P. Rios and William Reed being the pur- 
chasers. Tater the title was declared invalid, and the buildings restored to 
the church. 

The mission buildings consist of a chapel and a long row of low adobe 
btiildings. The corridor is a feature of the main edifice, the interior of which 
is to many most interesting, since it remains in its original condition, showing 
its ancient decorations and fixtures. The altar, very effective in color and 
design, is a valuable piece of decorative art. It is crowned with a statue of 
St. Alichael, the patron saint. The floors are of burnt brick laid in alternating 
rows of oblongs and squares. The chapel is in use and there is a resident 
priest. 






AX MiC.l L':L AllCAXUEl.. 



SAN FERNANDO KEY DE ESPANA. 

The mission of San Fernando was the second to be established within the 
present limits of Los Angeles county, and was founded September 8, 1797, by 
President Lasuen, assisted by Francisco Dumetz, at a site called by the natives 
Achois Comihavit, on the lands claimed by Francisco Reyes, who quarreled with 
the friars respecting the ownership of the land. The priests appropriated Reyes' 
ranch house for their dwelling. The mission was established with the usual 
religious ceremonies, in the presence of the troops and a great crowd of natives, 
and dedicated as required by instructions from Mexico to San Fernando, King 
of Spain. St. Ferdinand was Fernando III., who reigned in I2i7-'5i, and under 
whose rule the crowns of Castile and Leon were united. He was the founder 
of the Spanish Inquisition, and was canonized in 1671 by Pope Clement X. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



41 



Francisco Javier Uria was associate priest with Dumetz. Ten children were 
baptized the first day, and thirteen adults had been added to the list early in Oc- 
tober. In 1797 there were fifty-five neophytes on the baptismal register; in 1800 
there were 310, there having been to that date 352 baptisms and seventy deaths. 
The number of cattle (including mules and horses) in 1800 was 526, and of sheep 
600. In 1799 there were 1,200 bushels of wheat, corn and barley raised, and the 
total yield for the three years 1798- 1800 was 4,700 bushels. 

The adobe church with a tile roof, the ruins of which yet remain, was com- 
pleted and consecrated in December, 1806. An earthquake occurred December 
2T, 181 2, that did some slight damage to the church building, necessitating the 
introduction of thirty new beams to support the wall. In 1813 a neophyte was 
killed by the Indian alcalde, who threw a club at him from a distance of some 
sixty feet with a view to hasten his work. The killing was deemed accidental, 
and the penalty imposed was two months' imprisonment in the presidio. During 
i8i6-'i8 a large number of neophytes deserted; before 1818 a new chapel was 



completed The 
tion of this mis- 
in 181 9, and then 
Captain de la 
applied for a 
Rancho, which 
was already using 
for the mission 
troversy resulted 
failing to obtain^ 
it was not se-| 
mission. About 



greatest popula- 
sion was 1,080, 
began its decline. 
Guerra, in 1821, 
grant of the Piru 
Father Ybarra 
to some extent 
herds. The con- 
in de la Guerra 
the rancho ; but 
cured for the 
this time complaint was made that the soldiers behaved 





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!^W^ 



SAN FERXANDO REY DE ESPAXA. 



badly, selling liquor to the Indians. The mission was no longer prosperous 
in any respect, showing a decline in live stock and agriculture. The amount 
of supplies furnished by this mission to the soldiers in 1822-27 was $21,203. 

In 1834, with others, the Mission San Fernando was secularized, with Lieu- 
tenant Del Valle as the commissioner in charge. Ybarre continued his ministry 
imtil the middle of the year 1835, when he temporarily retired to Mexico. 

Del Valle became major-domo the next year, which position he held until the 
year 1837, when he was succeeded by Anastasio Carrillo. Captain Jose M. 
Villavicencio served as administrator from the middle of the year 1838. In 1840 
there were still about 400 Indians in the ex-mission community. 

At one period of its history there were nearly one and a half miles of build- 
ings connected with this mission, these including residences, workshops, schools 
and storehouses, all of which are now in ruins. The edifice erected especially as 
an abode for the padres and reputed to be the finest of its kind in Alta California, 



42 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

is, however, still standing in a fair state of preservation. It is principally inter- 
esting as having been the abode of the Mexican General, Andres Pico, and was 
his headquarters during the war of occupation. It is two-story, nearly 300 feet 
in length by eighty feet in width, inside measurements; and the walls — of brick 
and adobe — are four feet thick. The rafters, after being cut in the mountain 
forests many miles away, were dragged here by Indians and oxen, each log being 
occasionally turned upon the wa.y, " that all sides might be planed alike." They 
are as smooth as though really planed. The long corridor of this building is 
paved with brick, and the heavy tile roof is supported by arches and columns of 
masonry. Many of the windows are protected by iron bars, giving it a some- 
what prison-like appearance. 

The church is 40x60 varas. tile roofed, board ceiling, brick floor, adobe 
walls, three doors, seven windows with wooden bars ; sacristy, eight varas 
square, with one door and window. 

The general statistics of the San Fernando Mission from the date of its 
foundation till its secularization in 1834, are as follows: Total number of bap- 
tisms 2,839, of which 1. 41 5 were Indian adults, 1,367 Indian children, 57 children 
de razon. Total marriages, 849, of which 15 were gente de razon. Deaths, 
2,028; 1,036 were Indian adults, 965 Indian children, 12 white adults and 15 white 
children. The largest population was 1,080 in 18 19. The sexes were nearly 
equal; children from one-fourth to one-third. Largest number of cattle, 12,800 
in 1819; horses, 1,320 in 1820; mules, 340 in 1812; sheep, 7,800 in 1819; goats, 
600 in 1816; swine, 250 in 1814; all kinds, 21,745 animals in 1819. Total product 
of wheat, 119,000 bushels, yield nineteen fold; barley, (only raised six years) 
3,070 bushels, fourteen fold; maize, 27,750 bushels, eighty-three fold; beans, 
3,624 bushels, fourteen fold. 

It has been in part restored by the Landmarks Club. 

SAN LUIS KEY DE FRANCIA. 

The Mission of San Luis Rey de Francia (Saint Louis IX, King of France, 
member of the Franciscans) was founded by Frs. Lasuen, Santiago and Peyri, on 
June 3, 1798. The ceremony of dedication was supplemented by the baptism of 
fifty-four children. Within a week Father Peyri, who was left in charge, had bap- 
tized seventy-seven more. By July i he had 6,000 adobe bricks ready to begin 
the erection of the mission buildings. It was due to Father Peyri's energy, zeal 
and executive ability that San Luis Rey, the grandest mission building of Alta 
California, was erected. It was completed in 1802. During the first decade this 
mission made larger gains in number of neophyte population and had a lower 
death rate than any other establishment. Father Peyri was beloved by all. He 
ministered personally to the needs of his charges, and likewise superintended the 
agricultural pursuits. In 1818 San Luis Rey was the most prosperous mission in 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



43 




SAN LUIS REY DE FRANCIA. 



California, and this in spite of the fact that so many of its sheep died that it was 
necessary for the padres to go as far north as San Juan Bautista to obtain wool 
enough for clothing. 

Father Peyri early established a hospital and taught the Indians the rudi- 
ments of healthful living. The highest number of neophytes enrolled at one time 
was 2,869, i" 1826. In 1828 there was a white population of thirty-five at San 

Luis Rey. Father Peyri, unlike most 
of the Franciscans in California, was 
a strong supporter of the Mexican 
republic and his surprise and disap- 
pointment at the expulsion of the 
Order in 1829 knew no bounds. The 
pathetic romance of his being spirited 
away at night and taken on board a 
vessel lying in the Bay of San Diego, 
is one well known to those inter- 
ested in the missions. When the neo- 
phytes learned that Father Peyri was gone, many of them mounted their ponies 
and rode in the gray dawn of the morning in a wild chase to the sea, in order to 
rescue their padre and bring him back to the mission. As they appeared on the 
shore the ship weighed anchor and slowly sailed out to sea. It is said that two 
venturesome boys swam after the ship and were taken on board and carried to 
Spain with the Father. 

San Luis Rev is the onlv mission that progressed after secularization ; but 
it, too, declined after a few years, and was finally sold, on May 18, 1846, to Jose 
A. Cot and Jose A. Pico for $2,437 i ^^^^^ their agent was dispossessed by General 
Fremont, and they failed to regain possession. Later it was decided that the 
governor had had no power to sell the mission. San Luis Rey was used as a 
military post by our troops during the M^exican war, and at the close of the war 
the government caused an estimate to be made of the cost of repairing and 
restoring it to its former condition. The figures were $2,000,000. 

An inventory taken August 22nd, 1835, gives a fair idea of the importance 
* and wealth of the mission. Valuation, $203,737.00; debts, $93,000.00; the church, 
of adobe, tile roof, clay floor, board ceilings, nine doors, eighteen windows, four 
adjoining rooms, value $30,000.00, was included in the total amount, as was also 
the six ranchos, valued at $40,437.00. These were Pala, Santa Margarita, San 
Jacinto, Santa Ysabel, Temecula and one other. 

In the day of its glory and wealth, San Luis Rey was the pride of all the 
missions. It owned and pastured upon its lands an annual average of 20,000 head 
of cattle, and nearly as many sheep. It kept 3,000 Indians to perform the various 
kinds of service. In 1834 the mission had 3,500 neophytes to support. In 



44 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



the zenith of its prosperity, it raised and harvested annually more than 60,000 
bushels of grain, and 250 barrels of wine were produced from the vineyards. 

The church is an imposing structure, 50x160 feet, and walls sixty feet in 
height, by four feet in thickness. The tower at one corner contained eight bells. 
The ornaments and vestments of the church, in gold and silver, were verv rich 
and beautiful. On one side of the mission building extended a corridor of two 
hundred and fifty arches. In the rear was a large square enclosed by buildings 
on each side. The front and rear sides formed corridors, with beautiful arches. 
In this square was a well-kept garden, with a stone fountain, the favorite retreat 
of the padres. 

In 1892, steps were taken by Father O'Keefe, who for so many years was 
well known at Santa Barbara Mission, to restore San Luis Rey to a condition of 
usefulness, and the good father had succeeded so admirably that May 12th, 1894, 
the mission was rededicated and title passed to the Franciscan order of the Catholic 
church. A school for the training of priests of the order is now maintained there. 

SANTA YNEZ, VIRGIN Y MARTYR. 

The Mission Santa Ynez was founded September 17th, 1804. The work 
of the Mission Fathers was there begun by the baptizing of twenty-seven 
children. The present buildings were not commenced until after the destruc- 
tive earthquake of September 21st, 1812. when a corner of the old church and 
many of the best houses were destroyed. It was at Santa Ynez that the 
serious and wide-spread Indian revolt of 1824 started. After destroying many 
of the buildings they fled to Purisima and set fire to that establishment. 

At the time of secularization, Santa 
Ynez was valued at $56,000. In 
1844, the Mission had sufficient en- 
ergy, enterprise and w^ealth to estab- 
lish a seminary of learning. The 
Fathers, through the efiforts of Bishop 
Garcia, received a liberal grant of 
land from the government for this 
institution, beside an endowment of 
$500 per annum, on condition that 
all Californians in search of higher 

education be admitted thereto. There were about 270 Indians at Santa Ynez 
at this time. By order of Governor Pico, in 1836, the entire estate was rented 
to Jose Covarrubias and Joaquin Carrillo for $580 per annum. The mission 
was finally sold to the lessees in 1846, for $7,000, but the title was declared 
invalid. Santa Ynez remained a religious institution until 1850, when it was 
abandoned, and the Fathers went to Santa Barbara. 





T^S^M 






,.^-.#i?»/if*/ .* '^ r* -1 'i ^ 


'^**Ww|«*T^1^?^~?%^ 



SANTA YXEZ, VIRGIN Y MARTYR. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



45 




SAN RAFAEL. 



SAN RAFAEL. 

The mission of San Rafael, the first one located north of San Francisco, 
was established December i8th, 1817. The Fathers and the Government of 
California had a double purpose in fixing the site of this establishment. It 

was intended to head off the Russian 
encroachment from the north, and 
also as a refuge for the neophytes of 
San Francisco de Asis, of which it 
was a branch. A scourge had be- 
come epidemic at Mission Dolores and 
many of its occupants were trans- 
ferred to the new site, which was 
supposed to be in a healthier region. 
This establishment was never very 
populous or influential. It reached 
its zenith in 1828 when a membership of 1,140 neophytes was reported. After 
this date it steadily declined and at the time of its secularization only about 
500 Indians remained. During its existence, 1873 converts were baptized. 

SAN FRANCISCO DE SOLANO. 

On the 4th of July, 1823, a cross was blessed, Holy Mass was offered 
ap, sacred songs were sung, and the Mission of San Francisco de Solano was 
founded. It was called New San Francisco. It was not until April 4th, 1824, 
that the mission church was formally 
dedicated, by Father Altimira, to the 
patron saint of the Indies. This 
structure was of wood, and the one 
of adobe, the remains of which are 
seen today, was erected the same 
year, many articles being donated by 
the Russians, then living in that 
region of country. The walls of the 
new church were about completed, 
when a terrific downpour of rain, last- 
ing several days, did great injury and changed the original plan. At the close of 
the vear, 1824, the mission numbered 639 neophytes, many of whom had come 
from San Francisco, San Jose, and San Rafael. At the time of secularization 
the movable property was distributed to the Indians. After i8^o, Solano had 
no existence as a mission community. During its entire history, 1,315 persons 
were there baptized. Its greatest population was in 1832, when there were 996 
persons enrolled. 




SAN FRANCISCO DE SOI.AXO. 



CHAPTER IV. 

From Monarchy to Republicanism. 

PABLO VICENTE DE SOLA was governor of California when Mexico 
attained independence from Spain. He was of Spanish birth and was 
bitterly opposed to the Revolution, even going so far as to threaten death 
to any one who should speak in favor of it. Although the rule of Spain in Mexico 
was overthrown in September, 1821, it was not until March, 1822, that official dis- 
patches reached Sola informing him of the change. The " plan of Iguala " under 
which Iturbide finally overthrew the Spanish power contemplated the placing of 
Fernando VII on the throne of the Mexican Empire, or, if he would not accept, 
then some scion of the royal family of Spain. Such a termination to the revolu- 
tion did not afifect Sola's loyalist sympathies. He called a junta to meet at Monte- 
rey and on the nth of April the oath was taken to the new government. 

But Sola's royalist sympathies received a rude shock a few months later 
when news reached California that Iturbide had seized the government for him- 
self and been proclaimed Emperor with the imposing title of " Augustin I, by 
Divine Providence and by the Congress of the Nation, first Constitutional Emperor 
of Mexico." In September, 1822, the flag of Spain that for half a century had 
waved over the palacio of the governor at Ivlonterey, was lowered and the imperial 
banner of Mexico took its place. California, from the dependency of a kingdom, 
had become a province of an empire. Scarce half a year after the flag of the 
empire floated on the breeze had passed when the emperor was dethroned and 
forced into exile. The downfall of the empire was followed by the establishment 
of a republic fashioned after that of the United States. The country over which 
the viceroys of Spain had ruled for three hundred years was divided into nineteen 
states and four territories. Only the states were allowed representatives in the 
the senate; the territories, of which Alta California was one, were to be governed 
by a governor appointed by the president and a diputacion, or territorial assem- 
bly, elected by the people. Each territory was entitled to send a diputado, or dele- 
gate, to the Mexican congress. 

Luis Antonio Argiiello succeeded Sola as governor, or gefe poltico (political 
chief), as the office was later styled under the republic. He was elected, Novem- 
ber 9, 1822, president of the provincial diputacion and bv virtue of his office be- 
came temporary governor instead of Sola, who had been elected delegate to the 
imperial congress. Argiiello was a native Californian, having been born at the 
presidio of San Francisco in 1784. He was a man of limited education, but made 
good use of what he had. Like Sola he had been a pronounced royalist during 
the revolution, but with the downfall of Spanish domination he had submitted 
gracefully to the inevitable. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 47 

The success of the revohition was most bitterly disappointing to the mission 
padres. Through the long years of strife between Mexico and the mother coun- 
try they had hoped and prayed for the triumph of Spain. In the downfall of 
Spanish domination and the rise of Republicanism, they read the doom of their 
feudal institutions, the missions. On the promulgation of the Federal Constitu- 
tion of October, 1824, in California, Father Vicente de Scrria, the president of 
the missions — a Spaniard and a royalist — not only refused to take the oath of 
allegiance to it, but also declined to perform religious services in favor of it. An 
order was issued by the Supreme Government for his arrest ; but before it reached 
California he had been superseded in the presidency by Father Narciso Duran of 
San Jose. A number of the padres were hostile to the Republic and evaded 
taking the oath of allegiance on the ground of obedience to the orders of their 
Superior. Their unfriendly attitude to the Republic was one of the causes that 
led to the secularization of the missions a few years later. 

The Mexican government, shortly after its inauguration, removed most of 
the restrictions imposed by Spain against foreigners settling in California and the 
colonization law of 1824 was liberal. The state religion was the Roman Catholic 
and all foreigners who settled in the country were required to embrace it. During 
Spanish domination not more than half a dozen foreigners had been allowed to 
become permanent residents. The earliest English settler was John Gilroy. who 
was left by his vessel at Monterey in 1814. He married a daughter of Ignacio 
Ortega and at one time owned a large body of land, but died poor. Joseph Chap- 
man, the first American settler, was one of Bouchard's men, captured at Monterev 
in 1818. 

Beginning with Baron Rezanof's visit to San Francisco, in 1806, for the 
purpose of buying grain for the starving Russian colony at Sitka, the Russians 
made frequent visits to the coast, partly to obtain supplies, but more for the pur- 
pose of hunting seal and sea otter. Their Aleut fur hunters in their bidarkas, 
or skin canoes, killed otter in San Francisco bay and the Spaniards, destitute of 
boats or ships, were powerless to prevent them. In 18 12 tliev built a village and 
fort about 18 miles north of Bodega bay, which they named Ross, and which 
mounted ten cannon. They also maintained a port on Bodega bay, and a small 
station on Russian river. The Spanish protested against this invasion of terri- 
tory and threatened to drive out the Russians, but nothing came of either their 
protests or threats. The Russian ships came for supplies and were welcomed by 
the people and the padres, if not bv the government officials. The Russian colonv 
was not a success, and after the decline of fur hunting the settlement became 
unprofitable, and in 1841, the building and stock were sold bv the Russian gov- 
ernor to Captain John A. Sutter for $30,000. The settlement was abandoned and 
the fort and town have long since fallen into ruins. 

Among the foreigners who came to California soon after the establishment 
of Mexican independence and became prominent in aflfairs may be named, W. 
E. P. Hartnell, Captain John R. Cooper, William A. Richardson, Daniel A. Hill 



48 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

and William A. Gale. William Edward Petty Hartnell came from Lima as a 
member of the firm of McCullock, Hartnell & Co., ens^ai^ed in the hide and tallow 
trade. Hartnell was an Englishman by birth, well educated and highly respected. 
He married Maria Teresa de la Gucrra and twenty-five children were born to 
them. He died at Monterey in 1859. William A. Gale came in iSio as a Bos- 
ton fur trader. Lie returned to the territory in 1822 on the ship Sachem, the 
pioneer Boston hide drogher. It brought to the coast a number of Americans 
who became permanent residents of the country. California on account of its 
long distance from the centers of trade had but few products for exchange that 
would bear the cost of transportation. Its chief commodities for barter, during 
the Mexican era, were hides and tallow. The vast range of country adapted to 
cattle raising made that its most profitable industry. After the removal of the 
restrictions on commerce with foreigners by the Mexican government, a profitable 
trade grew up between the New England ship owners and the California ranch- 
eros. \'essels were -fitted out in Boston with a cargo of assorted goods suitable 
for the trade. Voyaging around Cape Horn and stopping at the various points 
along the coast they exchanged their stock of goods and Yankee "notions" for 
hides and tallow. It took from two to three years to make the voyage out from 
Boston and return, but the profits on the goods sold and on the hides received in 
exchange were so large that these ventures paid handsomely. Cattle raising, up 
to the time of the discovery of gold in 1848, continued to be the principal industry 
of the country. 

During the first decade of republican rule, there was but little change in polit- 
ical conditions or in the views of the people concerning the government. Mission 
rule was still dominant and the people were subservient to the governors appointed 
over them. But with the increase of foreigners and the advent of ex-revolution- 
ists from Mexico, the old-time native California Loyalists gradually became im- 
bued with a kind of republicanism that transformed them into malcontents, whose 
protests against the sins of governmental officials took the form of pronuncia- 
mentos and revolutions. 

The first of the numerous revolts against the rule of the governors appointed 
by the Mexican government occurred in November. 1829. The soldiers at the 
presidios for years had received but a small part of their pay and were but poorly 
clothed and provisioned. The garrison at Monterey rebelled and seized and im- 
prisoned their officers. That at San Francisco followed their example. Under 
the leadership of Joaquin Solis, an ex-revolutionist of Mexico who had been ban- 
ished from that country, they marched southward to meet Governor Echandia, 
who was moving northward with a force of about one hundred men from San 
Diego, where he had established his capital. The two forces met at Dos Pueblos, 
near Santa Barbara, and a bloodless battle ensued. The rebellious "escoltas" 
(militia) were pardoned and returned to duty. Herrara, the dejiosed commissary- 
general ; vSolis, and several other leaders were arrested and sent to Mexico to be 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 49 

tried for high crimes and misdemeanor. On their arrival in that land of revolu- 
tions, they were turned loose and eventually returned to California. 

The principal cause of the California disturbances was the jealousy and dis- 
like of the " hijos del pais " (native sons) to the Mexican-born officers who were 
appointed by the superior government to fill the offices. Many of these were ad- 
venturers who came to the country to improve their fortunes and were not scrupu- 
lous as to methods or means, so that the end was accomplished. 



CHAPTER V. 

Revolutions and Secularization. 

MANUEL MCTORIA succeeded Echandia as gefe politico of Alta Cali- 
fornia in January 1831. Victoria was a soldier, arbitrary and tyrannical, 
and refused to convoke the diputacion, or territorial assembly. From 
the outset he was involved in quarrels with the leading men of the territory. 
Exile, imprisonment and banishment were meted out to small offences and some- 
times for none at all. At length Jose Antonio Carrillo and Don Abel Stearns, who 
had been exiled to Lower California with Juan Bandini and Pio Pico, residents 
of San Diego, formulated a plot for the overthrow of Victoria, and issued a 
pronunciamento arraigning him for misdeeds and petty tyrannies. The soldiers 
at the presidio, with their Captain, Portilla, joined the revolt, and with the 
leading conspirators and fifty men marched northward. At Los Angeles they 
released the prisoners from the jail and chained up instead. Alcalde Sanchez, the 
petty despot of the pueblo who had been very ready to carry out the arbitrary 
decrees of Victoria. 

The San Diego army, augmented by the liberated prisoners and volunteers 
from Los Angeles, to the number of 150 men, marched out to meet Victoria, who 
with a small force was moving southward to suppress the rebellion. The two 
armies met west of Los Angeles in the Cahuenga valley. In the fight that ensued 
Jose Maria Avila, who had been imprisoned by Victoria's orders in the pueblo 
jail, charged single-handed upon Victoria. He killed Captain Pacheco, of Vic- 
toria's staff and dangerously wounded the governor himself. Avila was killed by 
one of Victoria's men. Victoria's army retired with the wounded governor to 
San Gabriel mission and the revolutionists retired to Los Angeles. Next day, 
the governor, who supposed himself mortally wounded, abdicated ; later he was de- 
ported to Mexico. Pio Pico, senior vocal of the diputacion, was elected gefe- 
politico by that body, but Echandia on account of his military rank, claimed the 
office and Pico, for the sake of peace, did not insist upon his rights. 

Echandia did not long enjoy in peace the office obtained by threats. Captain 
Augustin V. Zamorano, late secretary of the deposed Victoria, raised an army of 



50 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

about one hundred men, some of whom were cholos, or convicts, which under the 
command of Captain Ibarra marched southward and met no opposition until it 
reached El Paso de Bartolo, on the San Gabriel river. Here Captain Barrosa, of 
Echandia's force, with fourteen men and a piece of artillery stopped the onward 
march of the invaders. Echandia had gathered an army of neophytes, said to 
have been a thousand strong. On the approach of this body, Ibarra's men re- 
treated to Santa Barbara. The diputacion, which was reall\ the only legal 
authority in the country, finally effected a compromise between the two rivals. 
Echandia was to be recognized as military chief for the country south of San 
Gabriel, and Zamorano for all territory north of San Fernando, while Pico, 
who by virtue of his rank as senior-vocal, was the lawful governor was left 
without jurisdiction. After this adjustment there was peace. 

On January 14th, 1833, Jose Figueroa, "gobernador proprietario" of Alta 
California by appointment of the Supreme government of Mexico, arrived at 
Monterey. Zamorano at once turned over to him whatever authority he had 
and Echandia did the same. Figueroa was Mexican born, of Aztec descent, 
and is regarded as one of the ablest and most efBcient of our Mexican governors. 
He instituted a policy of conciliation and became very popular with the people. 
He inaugurated a number of reforms, especially in the treatment of the neophytes 
and in his attention to the conditions of secularization, which took place during 
his term of office. Another important event of this time w^is the arrival of 
the Hijar colonists. 

In 1833, Jose Maria Hijar, a Mexican gentleman of considerable property, 
aided by Jose Maria Padres, set about organizing a scheme for the foiunding 
of an extensive colony in California. Each settler was promised a ranch and 
was to receive rations to the amount of four reales per day with a certain amount 
of live stock and tools. All to be repaid later from the products of the faiim. 
A corporation known as the "Compania Cosmopolitana" was organized for the 
purpose of buying vessels and carrying on a shipping business between Mexico 
and California. About 250 colonists were recruited and left the City of Mexico 
for San Bias where they were to be given free passage. One of the vessels 
bringing them landed at San Diego, September ist, 1834, and the other, reached 
Monterey September 25th. 

Hijar had succeeded in securing an appointment as gefe-politico ; but after 
his departure for California, President Santa Anna countermanded the order 
and sent a courier overland by the way of Sonora with an order to Figueroa 
not to give up the governor-ship. By one of the most remarkable rides in his- 
tory, this courier reached Monterey before Hijar, and delivered his message to 
Governor Figueroa. Hijar, on his arrival at the capital found himself shorn 
of all authority. Part of the scheme of Hijar and Padres was the sub-division 
of the mission property among themselves and their colonists. But the revoca- 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 51 

tion of his commission deprived him of his power to enforce his plans. An 
attempt was made to form a settlement at San Francisco Solano, but was not 
successful and many of the colonists returned to Mexico, while the remainder 
were scattered throughout the territory. Hi jar and Padres were accused of insti- 
gating a plot to overthrow Figueroa and seize the mission property. They were 
shipped out of the country and thus ended in disaster to the promoters the first 
California colonization scheme. 

The missions had been founded by Spain for the purpose of converting 
the Indians to the "holy faith" and transforming them into citizens. The natives 
residing between the Coast Range and the ocean from San Diego to San Fran- 
cisco had been gathered into the different mission establishments, each of which 
held in possession, in trust, for its neophyte retainers, large areas of the most 
fertile lands in the territory. This absorbtion of the public domain by the 
missions prevented the colonization of the country by white settlers. 

The first decree of secularization was passed by the Spanish Cortes in 1813; 
but Spain was then engaged in a death struggle with her American colonies 
and she had neither power nor opportunity to enforce it. In July, 1830, the 
territorial diputacion adopted a plan of secularization formulated by Echandia 
in 1828; but before it could be carried out, he was superseded by Victoria who 
was a friend of the padres and strongly opposed to secularization. Governor 
Figueroa was instructed to examine into the condition of the neophytes and re- 
port upon the best method of bringing about a gradual emancipation of the 
Indians from missionary rule. He visited some of the older missions himself 
and. after careful study, was convinced that any general measure of seculariza- 
tion would be disastrous to the neophytes. A few might be given their liberty 
and entrusted with property ; but the great mass of them were incapable of self- 
government or self support. 

In the meantime, the Mexican Congress, without waiting for information 
from Figueroa as to the advisability of the step, ordered the immediate emancipa- 
tion of the neophytes. August 17th, 1833, a decree was passed ordering the 
secularization of all the missions. It was provided that each mission should 
constitute a parish, served by a priest, or curate, who should be paid a salary. 
The Franciscans and Dominicans who had taken the oath of allegiance to the 
repv;blic were to return to their colleges or monasteries ; while those who refused 
to take the oath of allegiance were to quit the country. The expense of putting 
the decree into operation was to be paid out of the "Pious Fund." The Pious 
Fund of California was made up of contributions for the founding and main- 
tenance of missions in the Californias. It was begun for the benefit of the 
missions of Lower California, in 1697, and increased until it amounted to one 
and a half million dollars, in 1842. It was confiscated by the Mexican govern- 
ment ; but after long litigation the money was finally awarded to the Catholic 
church of California by the Hague Tribunal in 1902. 



52 BRIEF HIST( )RY OF CALIFORNIA 

Figueroa and the territorial diputacion, under instructions from the Su- 
preme Government, June 31, 1834, adopted a plan for the secularization of the 
missions and the colonization of the neophytes into pueblos. Each head of a 
ifamily was to receive from the mission lands a lot not more than 500 nor less 
than 1000 varas square. One half of the cattle and one half of the farming- 
implements and seed grains were to be divided pro rata among those receiving 
lands for cultivation. Out of the proceeds of the remaining property which was 
to be placed under a major domo, the salaries of the administrator and the 
priest in charge of the church were to be paid. No one could sell or incumber 
his land nor slaughter cattle — except for subsistence. The government of the 
Indian pueblo was to be administered the same as that of the other pueblos in the 
territory. Before the plan of the diputacion had been promulgated, Figueroa 
had experimented with the neophytes of the San Juan Capistrano mission and a 
pueblo had been organized there. For a time it promised to be a success but 
ended in a failure. 

For years the threat of secularization had hung over the missions, but here- 
tofore something had always occurred to avert it. When it became evident that 
the blow would fall, the missionaries determined to save something for them- 
selves. There were, on the various mission ranges, in 1833, nearlv half a 
million head of cattle. San Gabriel, the richest of the missions, had over fifty 
thousand head. Thousands of these were slaughtered on shares for their hides 
alone and the carcasses left on the ground to rot. So terrible was the 
stench arising that the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles, in 1834, passe<l an ordinance 
compelling every one slaughtering cattle for the hides to cremate the carcasses. 
The diputacion finally issued a reglamento prohibiting the wholesale destruction 
of the mission cattle. What remained of the mission propertv was inventoried 
by commissioners appointed by the governor and a certain portion distributed to 
the Indians of the pueblo into which the missions had been converted. The 
propertv was soon wasted ; for the Indian was improvirlent and indolent and 
took no thought for the morrow. His property soon passed out of his hands 
and he became virtually the slave of the white man. 

Governor Figueroa died at San Juan Bautista, September 29. 1835 and 
was buriefl in the mission church at Santa Barbara, with much ceremony. He 
was called the "Benefactor of California." Before his death, he had resigned his 
political command to Jose Castro, primer-vocal of the diputacion, who held the 
office for four months. Bv order of the Supreme Government, he delivered it 
over to Col. Nicholas Guiterrez, who held the military command of the terri- 
tory, until the arrival in jNTay, 1836, of Mariano Chico, the regularly appointed 
"gobernador proprietario." Chico was a man of inordinate self-conceit and of 
but little common sense. He very soon secured the ill-will of the Californians. 
Shortlv before his arrival a vigilance committee, or as it was called by its or- 
ganizers, " Junta Defensora de la Seguridad Publica," the first ever formed 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



53 



in the territory, had taken from the legal authorities at Los Angeles, two criminals, 
under arrest for the murder of the woman's husband, and had executed them by 
shooting them to death. This violation of law greatly enraged Governor Chico 
and one of his first acts on taking office was to send Col. Guiterrez with troops 
to Los Angeles to punish the vigilantes. Victor Prudon, the president of the 
Junta Defensora, Manuel Argaza, the secretary, and Francisco Aranjo, the 
military officer who had commanded the members of the Junta, were arrested 
and committed to prison until such time as the governor could come to Los 
Angeles and try them. He came in June and after heaping abuse and threats 
upon them, finally pardoned the three leaders of the "Defenders of Public 
Security." Then he quarreled with Manuel Requena, the alcalde of Los Angeles, 
who had opposed the vigilantes, and threatened to imprison him. He returned 
to Monterey where he was soon afterward involved in a disgraceful scandal 
which ended in his placing the alcalde of that town under arrest. The people, 
disgusted with him, arose en masse assuming a threatening attitude. Alarmed 
for his safety, Chico took passage for Mexico and California was rid of him, after 
three months of his rule. Before his departure he turned over the political and 
military command of the territory to Col. Gutierrez. 

Gutierrez, like Chico, 
was a man of violent tem- 
per. It was not long be- 
fore he was involved in a 
quarrel that eventually 
put an end to his official 
career. In his investiga- 
tion of governmental af- 
fairs at Monterey, he 
charged fraud against 
Angel Ramirez, the ad- 
ministrator, and Juan 
Bautista Alvarado. the 
auditor, of the custom 
house, ^'olleys of words 
were fired bv lioth sides 
and Gutierrez threatened to put the two officials in irons. This was an insult that 
Alvarado, young, proud and hot-blooded, could not endure in silence. He left the 
capital and with Jose Castro, at San Juan, began preparations for a revolt against 
the governor. His ([uarrel with Gutierrez was not the sole cause of his fomenting 
a revolution. He was president of the diputacion and the governor had treated 
that body with disrespect, or at least, the members, of whom Castro was one, 
so claimed. General A'allejo was invited to take command of the revolutionary 
movement but. while he sympathized with the cause, he did not enlist in it. 




MEXICAN CUSTOM HOUSE. MOXTEREY. 



54 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



News of the projected uprising spread rapidly. Castro and Alvarado with- 
out much effort soon collected an army of seventy-five Californians. They also 
secured the services of an auxiliary force of twenty-five Americans — hunters and 
trappers — under the command of Graham, a backwoodsman from Tennessee. 
With this force they marched to Monterey, and by a strategetic movement cap- 
tured the Castillo. The revolutionists demanded the surrender of the presidio 
and the arms. Upon the refusal of the governor a shot from the cannon of the 
Castillo crashed through the roof of the comandante's house and scattered 
Gutierrez and his staff. This— and the desertion of most of his soldiers — brought 
the governor to terms. November 5, 1836, he surrendered the presidio and re- 
signed his office. With about seventy of his adherents, he was placed on board a 
vessel in the harbor and a few days later departed for Mexico. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Free; State of Aeta Caeifornia. 

THE Mexican governor having been expelled, the diputacion, which was 
composed of hijos del pais, was called together and a plan for the 
independence of California was formulated. This plan declared that 
" California is erected into a free and sovereign state, establishing a congress 
which shall pass all special laws of the country, also assume the other necessary 

supreme powers." The diputacion issued a de- 
claration of independence which arraigned the 
mother country, Mexico, for sins of commission 
and omission ; and Castro promulgated a pro- 
nunciamento ending with a '" Viva for El 
Estado Libre y Soberano de Alta California. "" 
( The Free and Sovereign State of Alta California.) 
Amid the vivas and the pronunciamentos, with the 
beating of drums and the roar of cannon, the state 
of Alta California was launched on the political 
;X'a. The revolutionists soon found that it was 
easy enough to declare the state free : Init quite 
another matter to make it free. 

For years there had bein a growing jealousy 

lietween northern and southern California. Los 

josi' ANTONIO cARRiLLo. Augelcs, tlirougli the efforts of Jose Antonio 

Carrillo had, by the decree of the Mexican congress in May, 1835, been raised 

to the dignity of a city and made the caj^ital of the territory. In the movement 




BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 55 

to make California a free and independent state, the Angelenos recognized an 
attempt to deprive their city of its honor. Although as bitterly opposea to 
Mexican governors and as actively engaged in fomenting revolutions against 
them as the people of Monterey, they chose at this time to profess loyalty to 
the mother country. They opposed the Monterey plan of government and 
formulated one of their own, in which they declared that California was not 
free and that they would obey the laws of the Supreme government only. 

Alvarado had been made governor by the diputacion and Castro 
comandante general of the army of the Free State. They determined to sup- 
press the recalcitrant surenos (southerners). They collected an army of eighty 
natives, obtained the assistance of Graham with his American riflemen, and 
marched southward. The ayuntamiento of Los Angeles had organized an army 
of 270, partly neophytes, which was stationed at the Mission San Fernando. 
Before the northern troops reached the mission, commissioners from Los 
Angeles met them and a treaty of peace was patched up. Alvarado 
with his troops arrived in Los Angeles January 23rd, 1837, and was received 
with expressions of friendship. An extraordinary meeting of the ayuntamiento 
was called ; Pio Pico expressed the great pleasure it gave him to see a " hijo 
del pais " in office and Antonio Osio, one of the most belligerent of the south- 
erners, declared that, " sooner than again submit to a Mexican governor, or 
dictator, he would flee to the forest and be devoured by wild beasts." Alvarado 
made a conciliatory speech and an agreement was entered into to support the 
" Monterey plan," with Alvarado as governor pro tempore, until the Supreme 
government should decide the question. Quiet reigned in the south for a few 
months. Then San Diego formulated a plan of government and the standard 
of revolt was again raised. The San Diego " plan " restored California to 
allegiance to the Supreme government and the officials at San Diego and Los 
Angeles took the oath to obey the constitution of 1836; this, in their opinion, 
absolved them from obedience to Juan Bautista Alvarado and his " Free State." 

In October came the news that Carlos Carrillo of Santa Barbara had been 
appointed governor by the Supreme government. Then consternation seized 
the " Free State " men of the north and the surenos of Los Angeles went wild 
with joy. Thev invited Carrillo to make Los Angeles his capital — an invitation 
which he accepted. December 6th was set for his inuaguration and great 
preparations were made for the event. Cards of invitation were issued asking 
the people to come to the inauguration " dressed as decent as possible." A 
grand ball was held in the governor's palacio — the house of widow Josefa 
Alvarado, the finest in the city. Cannon boomed on the old plaza, bonfires 
blazed in the streets and the city was illuminated for three nights. Los Angeles 
was at last a real capital and had a governor all to herself. 

Alvarado and Castro, with an army, came down from the north determined 



56 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

to subjugate the troublesome southerners. A battle was fought at San Buena- 
ventura. For two days cannon volleyed and thundered — at intervals. One 
man was killed and several mustangs died for their country. The " surenos " 
were defeated and their leaders captured and sent as prisoners of state to Vallejos' 
bastile at Sonoma. Los Angeles, Carrillo's capital, was captured by Alvarado. 
Carrillo rallied his demoralized army at Las Flores. Another battle was fought — 
or rather a few shots were fired at long range — which hurt no one. Carillo 
surrendered and was sent home to his wife at Santa Barbara — who became 
surety for his future good behavior. Alvarado was now the acknowledged 
governor of El Estado Libre de Alta California ; but the " Free State " had 
ceased to exist. Months before Alvarado had made his peace with the Supreme 
government by taking the oath of allegiance to Mexico, thus restoring California 
to the rule of the mother country. In November, 1838, Alvarado received his 
formal appointment as " gobernador interino " of California, or rather of the 
Californias; for under the new constitution creating twenty-four departments 
instead of states, the two Californias constituted one department. 

In the internecine wars and in their revolts against the Mexican gov- 
ernors, the Californias invoked the aid of a power that would not down at their 
bidding — that was the assistance of the foreigners. Zamorano in his contest 
with Echandia was the first to enlist the foreign contingent. Next Alvarado 
secured the offices of Graham and his riflemen to help in the expulsion of 
Gutierrez. In his invasion of the south he and Castro again called in the 
foreign element headed by Graham and Coppinger. Indeed the fear of the 
American riflemen, who made up the larger part of Graham's force, was the 
most potent factor in bringing the south to terms. These hunters and trappers, 
with their long Kentucky rifles, shot to kill and any battle in which they took 
part would not be a bloodless afifair. 

After Alvarado had been confirmed in his office, he would gladly have rid 
himself of his allies. But they would not be shaken ofif and were importunate 
in their demands for the recognition of their services. There were rumors that 
the foreigners were plotting to overthrow the government and revolutionize 
California, as had already been done in Texas, x^.lvarado issued secret orders 
to arrest a number of foreigners whom he had reason to fear. About one 
hundred were arrested during the month of April, 1840, and forty-seven were 
sent as prisoners in irons to San Bias. The others were released. The 
prisoners, who were about equally divided in nationality between Americans and 
Englishmen, were confined in prison at Tepic. Here the British consul, Barron, 
was instrumental in securing their release — the American consul being absent. 
The Mexican government paid them damages for their imprisonment and fur- 
nished those who had a legal right to residence in California with transpor- 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 57 

tation to Monterey, where they landed in July, 1841, better dressed and with 
more money than when they were sent away. 

An important event during Alvarado's rule was the capture of Monterey, 
October 19th, 1842, by Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, commander of 
the United States forces of the Pacific. Jones, who was cruising in the south 
Pacific, learning that Admiral Thomas, in command of the English squad- 
ron of the Pacific, had sailed out of Callao under sealed orders, suspected 
that the Admiral's orders were to seize California. Knowing that war was 
imminent between Mexico and the United States, Jones determined to take 
possession of California for the United States, if he could reach it before the 
English admiral did. Crowding on all sail, he arrived at Monterey October 
19th and immediately demanded the surrender of California, both Upper and 
Lower, to the United States government. He gave Governor Alvarado until 
nine o'clock on the morning of the 20th to decide on his course. Alvarado had 
been already superseded by Micheltorena, who was then somewhere in the 
neighborhood of Los Angeles, and at first decided to shirk the responsibility 
of surrender by leaving the town ; but he was dissuaded from this step. The 
terms were agreed upon and at ten o'clock the next morning 150 sailors and 
marines disembarked, took possession of the fort, lowered the Mexican flag 
and raised the American colors. The officers and soldiers of the California 
government were discharged and their guns and arms taken into possession by 
the United States troops, and carried into the fort. On the 21st, at four p. m., 
the flags again changed places — the fort and arms were restored to their former 
claimants. Commodore Jones had learned from some Mexican newspapers 
found in the captured fort that war did not yet exist between the two republics. 









"i^m^ 



^) K."^ -V 



la|i^^|§3|A^^^g|^^ 



CHAPTER VII. 

Closing Years of Mexican Era. 

FOR some lime ill feeling had been growing between Governor Alvarado 
and the comandante general, M. G. Vallejo. Each had sent commis- 
sions to the Supreme government to present his side of the quarrel. 
The Supreme government finally decided to combine the civil and military 
offices in the person of a Mexican officer, and on January 22nd. 1842, Manuel 

Micheltorena, who had seen service with the Santa 
Anna in Texas, was appointed to this office. He 
was to be provided with a sufficient number of 
troops to prevent the intrusion of foreigners — parti- 
cularly Americans — into California. The large 
force promised him finally dwindled down to 300 
convicts, known as cholos, who were released from 
Mexican prisons on condition that they serve in the 
army. 

Governor Micheltorena had landed with his 
ragged cholos at San Diego, in August, and was 
leisurely marching northward to the capital. On 
the night of October 24th, he had arrived at a 
point twenty miles north of San Fernando when 
news reached him of the capture of Monterey by 
oi'ix. M. a. VALLEJO. Couimodore Jones. The valiant commander and 

his cholos retreated to San Fernando where they 
remained until they learned of the restoration of Monterey to the Californians. 
Then they fell back to Los Angeles. Here, January 20th, 1843, Commodore 
Jones had a conference with the governor who made some exorbitant demands, 
among others that the United States government should pay $15,000 to Mexico 
for the expense incurred in the general alarm and for a set of musical instru- 
ments lost in the retreat, and also replace 1,500 uniforms ruined in the violent 
march. Commodore Jones did not deign an answer to these ridiculous 
demands; and Micheltorena did not insist upon them. The conference closed 
with a grand ball — and all parties were pacified. 

Micheltorena took the oath of office at Los Angeles, December 31st, 1842. 
Speeches were made, salutes were fired and the city was illuminated for three 
nights. With his Falstaffian army, the governor remained at Los Angeles until 
mid-summer. The Angelenos had, for years, contended with the people of 
Monterey for the capital and had gone to war to gain it. Now that thcv had 




BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 59 

the coveted prize, they would gladly have parted with it if, by so doing, they 
could rid themselves of jNIicheltorena's thieving soldiers. The men were not 
altogether to blame, as their pay was long in arrears and they received but 
scant supplies of clothing or rations. It was a case of steal, or starve — and 
they stole. 

In August Micheltorena and his cholo contingent reached Monterey. The 
Californians did not welcome the Mexican governor very heartily. 

While indolent and vacillating, he was a man of considerable ability, and 
began his rule with the intention of improving conditions in California. 
Education had been sadly neglected both under Spanish and Mexican domina- 
tion. One of his first attempts was to establish a public school system. Five 
hundred dollars was apportioned from the public funds for the maintenance of 
schools in each of the larger towns and arrangements were made for the opening 
of several schools for girls. Heretofore the public schools had been open only 
to boys. What was left of the mission estates was restored to the Padres and 
an earnest effort was made to reconcile sectional animosity, but with all of his 
efforts to be just and better the condition of California, there was still an 
undercurrent of hostility to him. Part of this was due to the thieving of his 
convict soldiers; but a more potent cause was the ambition of certain " hijos 
del pais " to rule the territory. They blamed the governor for retaining his 
cholos in the country, claiming that they were kept for the purpose of subjugat- 
ing, or terrorizing, the natives. 

The appointment of Micheltorena to fill both the civil and militar}- offices 
was a bitter disappointment to Alvarado and Vallejo. They were not long in 
discovering that much as they hated each other, they hated the Mexican worse. 
They buried the hatchet and combined with Castro to do what the trio had 
done before — drive the Mexican governor out of the country. The depredations 
of the cholos had so embittered the people that they were ready to join the 
standard of anyone who would head a revolution. On November 15th, 1844, 
a meeting of the leaders of the dissatisfied was held at Alvarado's Rancho de 
Aliso. and a pronunciamento against Micheltorena was issued. 

Alvarado and Castro headed a body of revolutionists, numbering about 
thirty, who moved northward to San Jose, where they were largely reinforced. 
Micheltorena set out in pursuit of them ; after some maneuvering, a treaty was 
finally effected between the belligerents. Micheltorena pledged his word of 
honor to send back to Mexico, within three months, his vicious soldiers and 
officers ; while Alvarado and Castro, on their part, agreed to go into winter 
quarters at San Jose, with their troops, who were to constitute the military force 
of the territory after the departure of the convict soldiers. Micheltorena 
returned to Monterey, but the censure of his officers for the surrender caused 
him to break his word and secretly plot for the capture of the insurgents. He 



60 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

secured the aid of Captain John A. Sutter, a Swiss gentleman, wlio had an 
estabHshment at New Helvcetia, now Sacramento, and a company of Indians 
drilled in military maneuvers and the use of arms. Beside his Indians, Sutter 
secured for Micheltorena the services of a number of foreigners, mostly Amer- 
icans. Alvarado and Castro learned of the perfidy of iMicheltorena through 
the capture of one of his messengers with a letter to Sutter. Not being prepared 
to sustain an attack from the combined forces of Micheltorena and Sutter, they 
hurriedly broke camp at San Jose and with a portion of their force marched 
to Los Angeles where they arrived, January 21st, 1845. They endeavored to 
fire the southern heart against the governor, but the old animosity was as strong 
as ever and the southerners regarded with suspicion the friendly advances of 
their old enemies. The Pico brothers were finally won over and Pio Pico, who 
was primer-vocal, of the " junta departmental " or assembly, called that body 
together, to meet at Los Angeles, on January 28th. It declared IMicheltorena 
a traitor to the country who must be deposed. 

Sutter with his force numbering about two hundred men, one hundred of 
whom were Indians, joined Micheltorena at Salinas early in January. The 
combined forces — about four hundred — began a leisurely march to the south. 
The fear of a raid by Micheltorena's cholos and Sutter's Indians had stimulated 
recruiting in the south, and Castro and Pico soon found themselves at the head 
of about four hundred men. A commission from Los Angeles met the governor 
at Santa Barbara on Feburary 7th with propositions for a settlement of the 
difficulty. He treated the commission with scant respect and offered but one 
condition — unconditional surrender of the rebels. 

A week later the departmental assembly met at Los Angeles and passed 
resolutions deposing Micheltorena and appointing Pio Pico temporary governor. 
In the meantime, disgusted with Micheltorena's slow movements, about half 
of the foreigners in his army deserted. Alicheltorena's army moving down by 
way of Encinas, and Castro's forces advancing from Los Angeles, met on the 
Cahuenga plain. Artiller}- firing began at long range and thus continued all 
day. The foreigners in the respective armies got together in a ravine during 
the fight and agreed to let the Mexicans and Californians settle their dispute 
in their own way. 

Toward evening, Micheltorena undertook to make a flank movement and 
marched his troops to the eastward, evidently intending to follow the river 
down to the city. Castro and Alvarado moved back through the Cahuenga 
Pass and again encountered the opposing force at the \'erdugo rancho. A few 
cannon shots were fired when Micheltorena displayed a white flag in token of 
surrender. Terms of capitulation were drawn up by which he and his convict 
army were to be sent back to Mexico. Pio Pico was recognized as temporary 
governor and Castro was made comandante general of the miltary force. As 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 61 

a sedative to his militan' pride, Micheltorena was granted permission to march 
his army to San Pedro with all the honors of war, taking with them their three 
pieces of artillery, but the guns were to be given up at the embarcadero. The 
governor and his soldiers were sent to Monterey and there, joined by the 
garrison that had been stationed at the capital, all were sent to San Bias, 
Mexico. Captain Sutter was taken prisoner during the battle and was held 
under arrest for some time after the departure of Micheltorena. He was at 
length released and allowed to return, with his Indians, by way of Tejon Pass 
and the Tulares, to New Helvetia. 

Pio Pico, by virtue of his position as senior vocal of the assembly, became 
governor, and Castro, in accordance with the treaty of Cahuenga, was comand- 
ante general. Alvarado was made administrator of the custom house in Monte- 
rey. Thus the " hijos del pais " were once more a power and the factional fight 
between the " uppers "' and the " lowers " was once more declared off. Pico 
established his government at Los Angeles and that " ciudad," ten years after 
the Mexican congress had decreed it the capital, became the seat of governmnet. 
Castro established his military headquarters at Monterey and Jose x\ntonio 
Carrillo, one of the leaders of the " lowers,"" was made comandante of the military 
in the south. Pico began his rule with a desire to benefit the territory. He 
might have succeeded, had he been able to control the discordant factions. 

As has been previously stated, Micheltorena restored, as far as possible, 
the mission property to the Padres ; but it was im])ossible to establish the old 
order — even on a small scale. The few Indians remaining at the missions 
were unmanageable. Through the neglect or incompetencv of the administra- 
dors, debts had been incurred and creditors were importunate. The Padres 
in charge were mostly old men, unable to cope with the difficulties that beset 
them on every side. Pico, with the concurrence of the junta, decided to make 
a change in the mission policy. In June, 1845, ^''^ issued a decree, warning the 
Indians at San Rafael, Soledad, San Miguel and Purisima to return to their 
respective missions. Failing to do so, they were to be declared vagrants and 
punished as such. At Carmel, San Juon Bautista, San Juan Capistrano and 
Solano, where pueblos had been established, the church and the curate's home 
were to be reserved and the balance of the property sold at auction to pay the 
debts of the missions. The abdudoned missions and the mission pueblos before 
mentioned were sold in December, 1845, and ten of the missions were rented 
for a term of nine years. The proceeds of the sale were to be used for the 
benefit of the Indians and the support of the Padres. In those rented, 
the Indians were at liberty to remain in the service of the lessees. A 
portion of the proceeds were to be used for the support of religious 
services. The change brought no improvement in the condition of 
the neophytes. They sank still lower in degradation, while the mis- 



62 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



sions. deprived of income and of power, ceased to exist. Notwithstanding 
Pico's efforts to conciliate the discordant elements, it soon became evident that 
the old spirit of turbulence was still dominant. The first insurrectionary move- 
ment originated with Jose Antonio Carillo, Pico's own brother-in-law. This 
was suppressed and Carillo and Vareles, one of his auxiliaries, were shipped to 
Mexico for trial ; but were released and returned to California. Castro ignored 
Pico in milittar\' aft'airs and soon a bitter quarrel was on between the gefe 
politico and the comandante general. 

For a number of years there had been a steady 
influx of foreigners — mostly Americans. Many of 
them had married into prominent families and had 
become by naturalization, Mexican citizens. In 1841, 
the first train of immigrants arrived in California 
overland. The immigration over the plains contin- 
ued to increase after this. The leading Californians 
saw that it was their manifest destiny to become a 
territory of the United States. Texas had been 
wrested from Mexico by the same foreign element 
that was now invading California. Early iti 1846, 
Castro called a junta of his officers at Monterey. 
This council issued a pronunciamento declaring hos- 
tility to the United States and the members pledged 
themselves to defend the honor of the Mexican na- 
tion against the perfidious attacks of its rivals — the 
North Americans. In this council, Pico had been 
ignored and the hostile feelings between the political and military chiefs grew 
more bitter. Pico had been appointed constitutional governor by President Her- 
rera and, April i8th, 1846, in the presence of the territorial assembl}^ and a large 
concourse of people gathered at Los Angeles, he took the oath of office. 

Castro and his associates were soon to be given an opportunity to test their 
courage in the defence of Mexican honor against the attacks of the perfidious 
North Americans. Lieutenant John C. Fremont, who had previously led two 
expeditions through the Rocky mountains. Oregon and California, in January, 
1846, arrived in California. His company numbered sixty-two men, scientists, 
guides and servants. These he left encamped in the Tulare county, east of the 
coast range, while he repaired to Monterey to secure some needed supplies and 
to explain his presence. As the expedition was scientific in its object and Fre- 
mont expressed his intention of proceeding to Oregon as soon as his men were 
rested and recruited, Castro made no objection to his remaining in California 
during the winter. But when, a few weeks later, the whole force of men 
marched into the Salinas vallev, thev were ordered to leave the countrv at once. 




LIEUT. JOHN C. FREMONT. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 63 

Instead of leaving, Fremont marched his men to Gabilan Peak, about thirty 
miles from Monterey, where he raised the stars and stripes and proceeded to 
fortify his camp. Castro marshalled his force on the plains below out of range 
of Fremont's men. After holding the fort on Gabilan Peak two days, Fremont, 
on the night of March cjth, abandoned it antl leisurely proceeded northward by 
way of the San Joaquin valley to Sutter's Fort and from there, after a short 
stop, to Lassen's Rancho on Deer Creek, where he remained until April 14th. 
He then resumed his march toward the Oregon line. 

On May 5th, he was encamped near Klamath Lake when Samuel Neal 
and William Sigler, two settlers of the Sacramento valley, rode into his camp 
and informed him that a United States officer, bearing dispatches, was endeav- 
oring to overtake him. The officer had but a small escort and the Indians being 
hostile, he was in great danger. Fremont took nine of his men and the two mes- 
sengers and hurried to the relief of the officer. The parties met and encamped on 
the bank of a creek. About midnight the Indians attacked the camp, killing three 
of Fremont's men and losing their own chief. The dispatch bearer proved to 
be Lieut. Archibald H. Gillespie, of the U. S. Navy. He had left Washington 
in November, 1845, ^^ith instructions from the government; had crossed Mex- 
ico, disguised as a merchant, and from San Bias had taken passage to Hono- 
lulu and thence reached Monterey, April 17th. Fremont, with his entire force, 
after punishing the Klamath Indians for their treachery, returned to Sutter's 
Fort, where Lieut. Gillespie, who had gone ahead, met them with supplies pro- 
cured from San Francisco through Captain Montgomery of the Portsmouth. 
The substance of the dispatches sent to Fremont from Secretary of State 
Buchanan was to prevent the occupation of California by any European power 
and in the event of war with Mexico to take possession of the country for the 
United States. It was well known that England had designs on California and 
it was partly to circumvent these and partly to warn Fremont that war with 
Mexico was pending that the dispatches had been sent. The report that a large 
immigration was on its way to California from the United States was. no doubt, 
the cause of the hostility of the authorities to Fremont and to the recently 
arrived immigrants. There were rumors that Castro was organizing a force to 
drive the foreign settlers out of the country. Many Americans were in Cali- 
fornia without authority under the Mexican laws. 

Believing themselves in danger and regarding Fremont as their protector, 
a number of the settlers repaired to his camp. Their first aggressive act was 
the capture of 250 horses that were being moved by Lieut, de Arce and four- 
teen men, from the north side of the bay to Castro's camp at Santa Clara. A 
party of twelve Americans, under Ezekiel Merritt, captured the horses and made 
prisoners of the escort, who were brought into Fremont's camp and there 
released. Hostilities having been begun, it became necessary for the settlers to 



64 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

widen the breach so as to provoke retaHation on the part of the CaHfornians 
rather than be punished as horse thieves. The next move was to seize the mil- 
itary post and the principal men of Sonoma. On the morning of June nth, 
twenty men under command of Merritt, armed with pistols and rifles, and 
mounted on fresh horses, set out from Fremont's camp on Bear Creek for 
Sonoma. On the way their number was recruited to thirty-two. On the morn- 
ing of the 14th, about daybreak, they surrounded the town and took Gen. M. 
G. Vallejo, Ca])lain Salvador \'allejo, and Lieut. Col. Victor Prudon, prisoners. 
There seem to have been no private soldiers at Sonoma — all officers. The Cas- 
tillo, or fort, contained about a dozen rusty old cannon and two hundred and 
fiftv muskets. Gen. Vallejo and his officers, as prisoners of war, gave their 
word of honor not to take up arms against the revolutionists, on a guarantee 
from their captain to respect the lives and property of the prisoners, their fam- 
ilies and the residents of the jurisdiction. This guarantee, signed by Merritt, 
Semple, Fallon and Kelsey. was given in writing. The prisoners, although 
given their parole, were taken to Sutter's Fort, by a guard. Twenty-four men 
remained at the fort. The leaders of the party having gone with the prisoners. 
W. B. Ide, who had come to the front on account of a speech he made advocat- 
ing a movement to make the country independent, was chosen" commander. 

Ide immediately set about formulating a declaration of independence, and 
William Todd, one of his men, having procured a piece of manta, or coarse cot- 
ton cloth about two }'ards long, set to work to fashion a flag for the new repub- 
lic. Todd, assisted by some others, painted a star in the upper comer and in 
the center a figure supposed to represent a bear, but which the natives called 
a " cochina " (pig). Below these figures he painted in large letters, "Califor- 
nia Republic." Along the lower edge of the flag was stitched a strip of red 
woolen cloth said to have been a part of a red woolen petticoat. When com- 
pleted the famous " Bear Flag " of California was run up on the flagstafif where 
the Mexican colors had formerly floated. The cannon and muskets were loaded, 
guards posted, military discipline established, and the California Republic duly 
inaugurated. On June i8th, the same day that Ide issued his proclamation, 
Thomas Cowie and George Fowler, two of Ide's men, vohmteered to go to 
Fitch's ranch to procure a keg of powder from Mose Carson. On the way they 
were captured by a band of Californians under Juan Padilla and brutally mur- 
dered. The news of this outrage reached Sonoma and later a report that Todd, 
who had been sent to Bodega with a message, had been captured. Captain W. 
L. Ford, with a force of twenty-three men, hastily set out from Sonoma to cap- 
ture Padilla. At Olampali Rancho, Captain Ford unexpectedly came upon the 
combined forces of Captain de la Torre and Padilla, numbering eighty-three 
men. The Americans fell back into a willow thicket. The Californians, sup- 
posing that they were retreating, charged u]ion them but were met by a volley 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



65 



of rifle balls that some reports say killed eight men. Todd, while the fight was 
going on, made his escape and joined Ford's men, who fell back to Sonoma. 
Fremont, who had been camped at the Buttes, having learned of Ide's 
attempt to establish a Pacific Republic and that Castro would not attack them 
to rescue the prisoners, but was gathering a force to recapture Sonoma, broke 
up his camp and moved down to New Helvetia, where he put his prisoners in 
the fort under guard. 

On June 23rd, Fremont hastened to Sonoma with a force of seventy-two 
mounted riflemen. The Americans, including- Fremont's men, now numbered 

two hundred. Fremont and Ford 
with a force of 135 men, started out 
to hunt Captain de la Torre, who was 
in command of the Californians north 
of the bay. Torre, it is claimed, 
wrote letters stating that Castro was 
about to attack Sonoma with a large 
force. These were placed in the 
boots of three of his men, who al- 
lowed themselves to be captured. 
The stratagem succeeded — Fremont 
and Ford hurried back to Sonoma, but 
the three Californians were shot with- 
out trial. Authorities differ as to this 
story. If such letters were captured, 
they were not preserved, and it is 
more than probable that the pris^Miers, 
Berryessa and the two de Haro boys, 
were shot in retaliation for the mur- 
der of Cowie and Fowler. Whether 
from the captured letters, or from 
some other source, Fremont believed that Castro's force was north of the bay. 
Castro, however, had not left Santa Clara. Captain de la Torre, taking advantage 
of the absence of his pursuers, crossed the bay at Sausalito and joined Castro. 
Fremont finding himself deceived, returned to the pursuit, but he was too late — 
the game had escaped and he marched back to Sonoma, where he arrived Julv 3rd. 
The Fourth of July was celebrated with great eclat by the " Bears." Wine, gun- 
powder, eloquence and a grand ball stirred up all the latent patriotism of the 
revolutionists. The " California Republic " reached the zenith of its power that 
day. The next day it collapsed. Ide was deposed by a vote of the Bears and 
Fremont was chosen to head the movement for independence. 

On the 7th of July, Commodore Sloat raised the Stars and Stripes in Monte- 
5 




COMMODORE JXO. D. SI^OAT. 



66 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

rey and took possession of the country in the name of the United States. He 
had arrived on the Savannah on the 2nd from Mazatlan, where he had heard 
rumors of hostihties between the United States and Mexico; but not having 
learned of any formal declaration of war, he was undecided what course to pursue. 
Having- heard of the Bear Flag movement and of Fremont's connection with it, 
he presumed that Fremont had later information, and finally decided to take 
possession of the country. 

Fremont, on July 6th, leaving Captain Grigsby with fiftv men at Sonoma, 
started with the rest of his battalion, about 130 men, for Sacramento with the 
intention of making preparations to attack Castro. Captain Montgomery of the 
Portsmouth had raised the flag at San Francisco ; Lieut. Revere arrived at Sonoma 
on the qth ; the Bear flag was lowered and the Stars and Stripes unfurled. On 
the nth the flag was raised over Sutter's Fort and the same day over Bodega. 
All Northern and Central California was now in possession of the Americans. 

For months there had been ill feeling between Governor Pico and the com- 
mandante-general, Castro. Pico had made Los Angeles his capital, while Castro 
had established his headquarters at Monterey. Their quarrel was the old sec- 
tional jealousy of the north and the south — and their respective sections supported 
them in their dispute. Castro was accused of plotting to overthrow the govern- 
ment. At the time Sloat raised the United States flag at Monterey Pico, with 
an armed body had reached Santa Barbara, intending to fight Castro, who was 
at Santa Clara. With a part of his force, Castro retreated southward and joined 
Pico. They patched up a truce and, uniting their forces, retreated to Los Angeles, 
where they began preparations to resist the " perfidious North Americans." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The; Conquest of California. 



THE American era of California history begins with the raising of the 
flag at Monterey on July 7th, 1846. Within a week after that event all 
of the territory north of Monterey had been taken possession of without 
opposition. Castro, with a part of his force, had retreated to Los Angeles, 
and those remaining behind had disbanded and retired to their homes. Fremont 
had moved his battalion of about 130 men to a camp on the American river 
above Sutter's Fort. Here he was encamped when, on the nth of July, a mes- 
senger bearing Sloat's proclamation and an American flag reached him. This 
flag was raised over the fort and saluted with twenty-one guns. Immediately 
afterward Fremont's battalion began its march to Monterey, where it arrived 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



67 



on the 19th. Fremont had an interview with Commodore Sloat which was not 
very satisfactory to either. Sloat was incHned to blame Fremont for acting 
without sufficient authority in precipitating hostilities and Fremont was disap- 
pointed because Sloat would not endorse his scheme of making a campaign 
against Castro.. 

On the 15th of July Commodore Stockton, on the Congress, arrived at 
Monterey from Honolulu and reported to Commodore Sloat for duty. Sloat 

was an old man, having entered the 
Navy in 1800; his health was fail- 
ing and he was anxious to retire 
from active service. He made 
Stockton commander-in-chief of all 
the land forces in California. 
Stockton on taking command, made 
Fremont a major and Gillispie a 
captain. On July 26th, the battal- 
ion was loaded on the Cyane, which 
sailed the next day for San Diego. 
Sloat. after transferring the com- 
mand of the Pacific squadron to 
Stockton, sailed on Julv 29th, on 
board the Levant for home. 

Commodore Stockton, on as- 
suming command, issued a procla- 
mation in which he arraigned the 
Mexican government for beginning 
hostilities against the United States. 
He was very severe on Gen. Cas- 
tro, whom he called a usurper, 
and the Calif ornians for outrages committed on the American settlers. 
" Three inoffensive Americans," said he, " residents of the country, have been 
within a few days brutally nuirdered ; and there are no California officers who 
will arrest and bring the murderers to justice, although it is well known who 
they are and where they are." He ignored the brutal murder of the three Cali- 
f ornians, Berryessa and the two De Haro boys, who were shot down in cold 
blood by Fremont's men while begging for quarter. Bancroft says of the proc- 
lamation, " The paper was made up of falsehood, of irrelevant issues and of 
bombastic boasting in about equal parts." Commodore Sloat read the procla- 
mation at sea and did not approve of it. 

Gen. Pico and Gen. Castro, on their arrival at Los Angeles, immediately 
set to work to organize an army. Every man between fifteen and sixty was 
summoned for military duty and any Mexican refusing or excusing himself on 




COMMODORE R. P. STOCKTON. 



68 BRIEF HIvSTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

any pretext was to be treated as a traitor. Those physically unable to do mili- 
tar\- duty were recptired to aid with their property. The response to the call 
of the leaders was not very enthusiastic ; sectional jealousies, quarrels and feuds 
had destroyed, or at least, paralyzed patriotism. The foreign residents who 
were mostly Americans, secretly sympathized with the invaders. Money and 
the miuiitions of war were scarce.' Castro had brought about lOO men with 
him from the north and Pico had recruited about the same in the south ; these 
constituted the available force to resist Stockton and Fremont. Stockton, with 
360 sailors and marines, arrived at San Pedro on August 6th, landed and drilled 
his force in military maneuvers. Castro sent a message by two commissioners, 
Flores and de la Guerra, expressing his willingness to enter into negotiations 
with Stockton. The commodore showed the messengers scant courtesv and 
dismissed them with an " insulting threat." Castro and Pico finding it impos- 
sible to defend the capital with the small force at their command, determined to 
quit the country. On the night of August loth they took their departure; Castro 
accompanied by his secretary, Francisco Arce, and eighteen men, going bv wav 
of the San Gorgonio pass and the Colorado river ; Pico by way of San Juan 
Capistrano and Santa Margarita, to Lower California. 

Stockton began his march to Los .Angeles on August nth. C)n the 13th 
Major Fremont, with his battalion of 130 mounted men, met him just outside 
the town and the combined forces entered the capital. The United States flag 
was raised and possession taken of the town. The reception of the Americans 
was not cordial. Some of the better class of citizens had fled from tlic city, 
but these in a few days returned to their homes. Fremont's cavalrv scoured the 
country and brought in a number of the leading men who had held civil or 
military office; these were paroled. Stockton, on the 17th, pulilished a much 
milder proclamation in which he announced himself as commander-in-chief and 
governor of the territor}- ; he stated that California belonged to the United States 
and would be governed by military law until a civil government could be estab- 
lislied. Captaiu' Gillispie was commissioned by Stockton as commandant of the 
southern department with headquarters at Los Angeles. He was assigned a 
garrison of fifty men taken from Fremont's force. C)n September 29th. Com- 
modore Stockton, with his sailors and marines, returned to their ships at vSan 
Pedro and sailed for Monterey. A few days later Fremont, with the remainder 
of his battalion, began his march northward for Sutter's fort, w'here he expected 
to recruit his force from the immigrants now arriving in the country. 

While the combined forces of Stockton and Fremont, numbering about 500 
men, had occupied the town, the inhabitants had been quiet and submissive. 
But with a small force left to keep them in subjection, thev soon began to mani- 
fest their old turbulent and revolutionary disposition. September i6th, the anni- 
versary of Mexican independence, a number of young men, under the stimulation 
of wine, and probably more in a spirit of mischief than with any serious intent, 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 69 

made an attack about midnig-ht on Gillispie's headquarters, which were in the 
old orovernment house. The garrison drove them off with a volley of musketry, 
in which three men were killed — so Gillispie reported — but the dead were never 
found. The next day Gillispie ordered the arrest of a number of leading citi- 
zens to be held as hostages. He also vigorously enforced military law. In a 
very short time he had a full-grown Mexican revolution on his hands. Some 
300 men, under the leadership of Flores and Serbulo A'areles, besieged his garri- 
son. In the corral of the government house were five or six old cannon that 
Castro had spiked and abandoned. Gillispie had two of these unspiked and 
hauled up Fort Hill, where they were mounted. He made cannon balls out of 
some lead pipe that he found and cartridge covers out of a piece of red flannel 
captured from a store. The Californians had a brass four-pounder, known as 
" the Old Woman's gun " because, on the approach of Stockton's army, an old 
woman by the name of Rocha had buried the gun in her garden ; it had been 
used in firing salutes at church festivals, and the old lady declared that the 
" gringos " should not have the gun of the church. 

While besieged on Fort Hill, Gillispie on September 24th, sent a messenger, 
Juan Flaco (lean John) with dispatches to Stockton asking aid. By one of the 
most wonderful rides in history, this man, John Brown, reached San Francisco 
where Stockton had gone from Monterey, six hundred miles distance, in five 
days. Stockton at once ordered Mervine, commanding the Savannah, to go to 
the relief of Gillispie. On account of a dense fog, the vessel did not leave San 
Francisco until October 4th. Gillispie held out bravely for seven days, then 
capitulated, with honorable terms. On September 30th, with flags flying, drums 
beating and his two old cannon mounted on carretas, he began his march to San 
Pedro. He spiked the two old cannon and threw them in the bay, then went on 
board the Vandalia, a merchant ship lying at anchor in the harbor, but did not 
leave San Pedro. On October 7th, Mervine entered the harbor. At 6:30 a.m. 
of the 8th. he landed a force of 299 men, which included Gillispie's volunteers. 
A small force of the enemy appeared and Captain Mervine ordered Lieut. Hitch- 
cock, with a reinforcement of eighty men from the vessel, to attack ; but the 
enemy retreated and the detachment returned to the ship. Captain Mervine and 
his men then started for the pueblo. Thev took no cannon and had no horses. 
After a fatiguing tramp through tall mustard and clouds of dust thev encamped 
at the Dominguez rancho. The enemy, under the command of Jose Antonio 
Carrillo, and numbering abort eighty men, appeared on the foothills and some 
skirmishing at long range took place. During the night, Flores arrived from 
the pueblo with a reinforcement of about sixty men and the " old woman's " gun. 
They opened fire during the night on Mervine's camp with this cannon, but did 
no damage. The next morning IMervine's men resumed their march and had 
not proceeded far before they encountered the enemy. The Californians opened 
fire and Mervine, fearing a charge from their cavalry, formed his troops in a 



70 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

hollow square with their bagg^age in the center. A running fight ensued ; the 
Californians firing, then dragging the gun back with riatas, loading, and firing 
again. Mervine, finding he was losing men without injuring the enemy, ordered 
a retreat. The Californians fired a parting shot or two, but did not pursue the 
Americans, as they had exhausted their ammunition. Mervine reached San 
Pedro that evening and went aboard his vessel. His loss was four killed and 
six wounded. The dead were buried on the Tsla de los Muertes, or Deadman's 
island. The Savannah remained in the harbor and the Californians kept a small 
detachment at Sepulveda's ranch and another at Cerritos to watch the Americans. 

On the 25th Commodore Stockton arrived at San Pedro on the Congress 
and remained there about a week. Although he had a force of nearly 800 men, 
he did not deem this sufficient to recapture the capital, as he greatly overestimated 
the strength of the enemy. On November rst he sailed for San Diego. At 
the time of Flores' attack on Gillispie the American garrisons at San Diego and 
Santa Barbara were driven out of these towns. The force at San Diego went 
aboard the Stonington, a whale ship lying in the harbor. Lieut. Talbot with 
ten men was stationed at Santa Barbara. When called upon to surrender, this 
party fell back into the hills and reached the head of the San Joaquin river, 
where they obtained food from the Indians ; then traveled down the valley, sub- 
sisting on the flesh of wild horses and finally, by way of Pacheco's pass, they 
crossed over to the coast and joined Fremont's battalion at Monterey. 

The departmental asscml^ly, having been called together by Flores, met at 
Los Angeles, October 26th. The members were all from the south. The first 
business in order was to fill the offices of governor aiid commandante-general 
left vacant by the flight of Pico and Castro. It was decided to combine the two 
offices in one person and Jose Maria Flores was chosen commander-in-chief and 
governor ad interim. He took the oath of office November ist and was really 
the last Mexican governor of California. Flores and the members of the as- 
sembly made some provisions for continuing the war, but their resources were 
very lintited. Their recent successes over the Americans had somewhat encour- 
aged them and they hoped to be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived 
from Mexico. 

Stockton, on his arrival at San Diego, had set to work to organize an expe- 
dition against Los Angeles. The Californians had driven the cattle and horses 
back into the mountains and the Americans found great difficultv in procuring 
animals. Frequent foravs were made into Lower California and horses, cattle 
and sheep procured. The remnant of Fremont's battalion, after taking from 
it garrisons for San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, had returned to the 
Sacramento vallev in September. Here it was recruited to t6o men, and on 
October 13th sailed from San Francisco on a merchant vessel, with orders to 
operate against the rebels in the south ; but between Monterey and Santa Barbara 
they met the Vandalia and learned of Mervine's defeat, and of the impossibility 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



71 



of procuring horses in the lower country. They put about and the battaHon 
landed at Monterey October 28th. \'igorous efforts were at once made to recruit 
men and horses. A number of immigrants had arrived from the states. These 
were induced to enlist on the promise of $25 per month pay. Horses were pur- 
chased, or where owners refused to sell, were confiscated. A company of Walla 
Walla Indians was enlisted — these were known as the " Forty Thieves." Sut- 
ter's "warriors in bronze" (Indians) were also enrolled for service. In the 
latter part of November, the recruits were collected at San Juan. They num- 
bered about 450 riflemen and 40 artillerymen, representing many nations and 
many different kinds of arms, and were divided into ten companies. Fremont 

had been commissioned as lieutenant-colonel in the 
regular army and was commander-in-chief of the 
battalion. While Fremont's officers and men were 
engaged in collecting horses, an engagement took 
place between a detachment numbering about 60 
men, under Captains Burroughs and Thompson, and 
the Californians under Manuel Castro, who had 
been made commandant of the Californian forces in 
the north. The Americans had gathered several 
hundred horses and were taking them to the camp 
at San Juan. The advance guard, consisting of 
eight scouts, encountered the Californians near Na- 
tividad. They posted themselves in an "encinalito'', 
or grove of little oaks, and a fight ensued. The 
main body of the Americans coming up, a reckless 
charge was made. Captain Burroughs and four or 
five others were killed and five or six were wounded. 
The Californians lost about the same number ; the result was a drawn battle. 
The American consul, Thomas O. Larkin, had started for San Francisco 
and had stopped at Gomez's ranch overnight. A squad of Californians, under 
Lieut. Chavez, surrounded the house about midnight and made him prisoner; he 
was held until the close of the war. The only other engagement in the north 
was the so-called " Battle of Santa Clara ", which took place between a force 
of about 100 Americans under Captains Weber, Marston and Aram, and an 
equal number of Californians under Francisco Sanchez. Fighting was at long- 
range with artillery and so far as known there were no fatalities on either side. 
In the south the garrison at San Diego, after it had remained on the Stoning- 
ton about ten days, stole a march on the Californians by landing at night and 
recapturing the town and one piece of artillery. A whaleboat was sent up to 
San Pedro with dispatches and an earnest request for reinforcements. It reached 
San Pedro October 13th. Lieut. Miner and Midshipmen Duvall and Morgan, 
with 35 sailors of Mervine's force and 15 of Gillispies volunteers, were sent to 




HON. THOMAS O. LARKIN. 



72 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

reinforce INIerritt at San Dieo;o. This force upon arrival set to work to build 
a fort and mount the cannon taken from the old presidio. Although continually 
harassed by the Californians, they succeeded in this. 

About the first of November, Couimodore Stockton arrived at San Diego. 
He began fortifications on the hill and built a fort out of casks filled with earth, 
on which he mounted guns. The whole work was completed in three weeks. 
Provisions ran short and frequent forays were made into the surrounding countrv 
for supplies. About December ist word reached Stockton that Gen. Kearney 
with loo dragoons was at Warner's pass, about eightv miles from San Diego. 
Stockton sent a force of fifty men and one piece of artillery, under Captain Gil- 
lispie to conduct this force to San Diego. On their return march the entire force 
was surprised, on the morning of December 6th, by about 90 Californians under 
Captain Andres Pico, near the Indian village of San Pasqual. Pico had been 
sent into that part of the country to intercept and capture squads of Americans 
sent out after horses and cattle. The meeting was a surprise on both sides. 
The Americans foolishly charged the Californians and in doing so became strung 
out in a long irregular line. The Californians rallied and charged in turn. The 
Americans lost in killed. Captains Johnston and Moore, Lieut. Hammond and 
sixteen dragoons ; Captains Gillispie and Gibson and seventeen dragoons were 
wounded. The Californians escaped with three men slightly wounded. Three 
of Kearney's wounded died, making the total American death list twenty-one. 
Less than one-half of Kearney's force were engaged in the battle. 

After the engagement, Kearney took position on a barren hill, covered with 
rocks. The enemy made no attack, but remained in the neighborhood and 
awaited a favorable opportunity to renew the assault. The night after the attack, 
Lieut. Godey, Midshipman Beale and Kit Carson managed to pass through the 
pickets of the enemy and eventually — by different routes — reached San Diego 
with the news of the disaster. On December 9th detachments of sailors and 
marines, numbering in all about 200, from the Congress and the Portsmouth and 
under the immediate command of Captain Zielin, began a march to relieve Gen. 
Kearney. They marched at night and camped in the chapparal bv dav. Early 
in the morning after the second night they reached Kearncv's camp, taking him 
by surprise. Godey, who had been sent ahead to inform Kearnev of the relief, 
had been captured by the Californians. Gen. Kearney had destroyed all of his 
baggage and camp equipage, saddles, bridles, clothing, etc., jireparatorv to forcing 
his way through the enemy's lines. But the enemy disappeared on the arrival 
of reinforcements, and Gen. Kearney and the relief expedition reached San Diego 
after a march of two days. 

It is necessary to explain how Gen. Kearney came to be in California with 
so small a force. In June, 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearney, commander of the 
Army of the West, left Fort Leavenworth with a force of regulars and volun- 
teers to take possession of New Mexico. The conquest of that territory was 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 73 

accomplished without a battle. Under orders from the War Department, Kear- 
ney began his march to California with a part of his force, in order to co-operate 
with the naval force already there. Near Socorro, New Mexico, October i6th, 
he met Kit Carson with an escort of fifteen men, en route from Los Angeles to 
Washington with dispatches from Commodore Stockton, giving a report of the 
conquest of California. Gen. Kearney selected 120 men from his force, sent the 
remainder back to Santa Fe, and compelled Carson to turn back as his guide. 
After a toilsome journey across the arid plains of Arizona and the Colorado 
desert, thev reached the Indian village where the engagement took place, desti- 
tute of provisions and with men and horses worn out. 

Stockton had been actively pushing preparations for his expedition against 
Los Angeles. His force now numbered 600 men, mostly sailors and marines ; 
but he had been drillir.g them in military evolutions on land. On the iqth of 
December this army started on its march for the capital. Gen. Kearney was 
made second in command. The baggage and artillery was hauled on carretas, 
but the oxen being ill- fed and unused to long journeys, gave out on the way and 
the marines had to assist in dragging the carts. Near San Juan Capistrano, a 
commission, bearing a flag of truce, met Stockton with proposals from Gov. 
Flores, asking for a conference. Stockton replied that he knew no " Gov. 
Flores ", that he (Stockton) was governor of California. "He knew a rebel 
by the name of Flores and if the people of California would give him up, he 
would treat with them." The embassy replied that they preferred death to sur- 
render under such terms. On January 8th, 1847, Stockton's army encountered 
the Californians at El Paso de Bartolo on the San Gabriel river and a battle was 
fought. The Californians had planted four pieces of artillery on the bluff above 
the river with the design of preventing the Americans from crossing. In the 
face of the artillery fire, the Americans crossed the river, dragging with them 
through the quicksands two nine-pounders and four smaller guns. They placed 
their guns on a batterv on the river bank and opened fire on the Californians 
with such telling effect that one of their guns was disabled and the gunners were 
driven awav from the others. The California cavalry made a charge on the 
rear, but were repulsed bv Gillispie's riflemen. The Americans charged the Cali- 
fornian center, advanced their artillery in battery. The enemy was driven from 
the heights, but succeeded in taking their artillery with them. The battle lasted 
about one and a half hours, the Americans losing two killed and eight wounded. 
The loss of the Californians was about the same. The Americans encamped on 
the battlefield while the Californians fell back toward the city and camped in 
plain view of their opponents ; but they moved their camp during the night. 

Stockton resumed his march on the morning of the 9th, moving in a north- 
westerly direction across the plains. The Californians had posted themselves in 
Canada de los Alisos (Canyon of Sycamores) near the main road. As the Amer- 
ican column appeared they opened fire with their artillery at long range, and 



74 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

continued it for several hours. Finally the Californians, concentrating- all their 
efforts into one grand charge, dashed down upon the American column. A volley 
from the rifles of Stockton's men checked their advance, and turning, they fled 
in every direction, leaving a numher of their horses dead upon the field. The 
" Battle of the Plains ", as Stockton calls it, was over. The loss on the American 
side was five wounded ; on the other side one man was killed and an unknown 
numher wounded. Stockton's force numbered about 600 men, but not all of 
them took part in the engagemient. The Californians had about 300. The small 
loss on the American side was due to the inefBcient weapons with which the 
Californians were armed and to the poor quality of their home-made gun powder, 
manufactured at San Gabriel. The small loss of the Californians was due to 
the long range at which most of the fighting was done and to the execrable 
marksmanship of Stockton's sailors and marines. After the battle, Stockton 
continued his march and crossed the river below the city, where he encamped 
on the right bank. 

On the morning of the loth, as he was about to resume his march, a flag 
of truce, borne by De Celis and Alvarado, Californians, and Wm, Workman, an 
Englishman, came into camp. The commissioners offered the peaceful surrender 
of the city on condition that the Americans should respect the rights of property 
and protect citizens. The terms were agreed to and Stockton's armv marched 
into the city. The Americans met with no hostile demonstrations, but it was 
very evident that they were not welcome visitors. The better class of the native 
inhabitants closed their houses and t6ok refuge with friendly foreigners or retired 
to ranches in the country ; the fellows of the lower class exhausted their vocabu- 
laries against the " gringoes."' Flores, after the " Battle of La Mesa ", retreated 
up the Arroyo Seco to the San Pasqual ranch, where he established his camp. 
Stockton, not aware of the location of the enem}- and fearful of an attack, deter- 
mined to fortify the town. On the nth, Lieut. Emory of Kearney's staff sketched 
the plan of a fort; on the 12th, the site was selected on what is now Fort Hill, 
and work was begun and continued on the 15th and i6th. 

We left Fremont's battalion on its march down the coast from Monterey. 
The rains set in early and were heavy ; the roads were almost impassable and the 
men suffered from the inclemency of the weather and from lack of supplies. 
The horses nearly all died and part of the artillery had to be abandoned. On 
January nth the battalion reached San Fernando valley, where Fremont received 
a note from Gen. Kearney informing him of defeat of the Californians and the 
cai)ture of the city. The battalion advanced and occupied the mission buildings. 
Jesus Pico had been arrested near San Luis Obispo, having broken his parole. 
He was tried by court-martial and sentenced to be shot ; but Fremont pardoned 
him and he became in consec[uence a most devoted friend. He now volunteered 
to find the Californian army and induce them to surrender to Fremont. He 
found a part of the force encamped at Verdugo and urged Flores, who in response 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



75 



to a message had come from the main camp at San Pasqual, to capitulate to 
Fremont, claiming that better terms could be secured from the latter than from 
Stockton. A council was held and the Californians decided to appeal to Fremont, 
but Flores resolved to quit the country and started that same night for Sonora. 
Before leaving he transferred the command of the army to Gen. Andres Pico. 
Gen. Pico, on assuming command, appointed Francisco Rico and Francisco 
de la Guerra to go with Jesus Pico and confer with Col. Fremont. Fremont 
appointed as commissioners to negotiate a treaty, jNIajor P. B. Reading, Major 
W. H. Russell and Captain Louis AIcLane. On the return of Rico and de la 

Guerra to the California camp. Gen. Pico 
appointed as commissioners Jose Anto- 
nio Carrillo and Augustin Olvera and 
then moved his army to a point near the 
river at Cahuenga. On the 13th, Fre- 
mont moved hi? camp from San Fer- 
nando to Cahuenga. The commission- 
ers met in a deserted ranch house at that 
place and the treaty, or capitulation, of 
Cahuenga was drawn up and signed. 
The principal stipulations of the trenty 
were that the Californians should sur- 
render their arms and agree to conform 
to the laws of the United States. They 
were to be given the same privileges as 
citizens of the LTnited States and were 
not to be required to take an oath of al- 
legiance until a treaty of peace was 
signed between the LInited States and 
]\Texico. General Pico surrendered two 
pieces of artillerv and a few muskets 
and disbanded his men. 
On Januarv 14th, Fremont's battalion marched through the Cahuenga pass 
and entered Los Angeles, four days after its surrender to Stockton. Commodore 
Stockton approved the treaty, although it was not altogether satisfactory to him. 
and on the 16th he appointed Col. Fremont governor of the territory. Gen. 
Kearney claimed that under his instructions from the War Department, he should 
be recognized as governor. For some time there had been ill feeling between 
Stockton and Kearney. This precipitated a quarrel. Gen. Kearney and his 
dragoons left Los Angeles on the i8th for San Diego and on the 20th Commo- 
dore Stockton and his sailors and marines left the city for San Pedro, where 
they embarked on a man-of-war to rejoin their ships at San Diego. Stockton 
was shortlv after this superseded in the command of the Pacific squadron by 




GEN. ANDRES PICO. 



76 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

Commodore Slnibrick. Col. Fremont was left in eommand at Los Angeles. 
Col. P. St. Georoe Cooke arrived on January 27th, with his Mormon battalion, 
at San Luis Rey. This force consisted of five com])anies of Mormons who, after 
a long- march by way of New Mexico and Arizona had reached California too 
late to assist in its conquest. From San Diego. Gen. Kearney sailed to San 
Francisco and from there went tO' Monterey, where he established his governor- 
ship. California now had a governor in the north and one in the south. Col. 
Cooke was appointed military commander of the south and brought his Mormon 
troops to Los Angeles. Fremont's battalion was mustered out and he was or- 
dered to report to Gen. Kearney at Monterey. He did so and passed out of 
office after a nominal service of two months. Gen. Kearney turned over the 
command of the troops in California to Col. R. B. Mason, who became military 
governor of the territory. 

The First New York Infantry had been recruited in Eastern New York in 
the summer of 1846 for the double purpose of conquest and colonization. It 
came to the coast well supplied with provisions and with implements of hus- 
bandry. On its arrival November 6th, 1847, the regiment was divided up and 
sent to different places on guard duty. Two companies, A. and B., under Lieut. - 
Col. Burton, were sent to Lower California, where they saw some hard service 
and took i>art in several engagements. Col. Cooke resigned his position as com- 
mandant of the south and Col. J. D. Stevenson of the New York Volunteers 
was assigned to the command. The Mormon battalion was mustered out in 
July and Companies E. and G. of the New York Volunteers and a company of 
United States dragoons did guard duty at Los Angeles. Another military or- 
ganization that reached California after the conquest was Company F of the Third 
United States xA.rtillery. It landed at Monterey, January 27th, 1847, under com- 
mand of Captain C. O. Thom])kins. With it came Lieut. E. G. C. Ord. William 
T. Sherman and H. W. Halleck, all of whom were ])rominent afterward in Cali- 
fornia and attained national reputation during the civil war. 

During 1847-48 until the treaty of peace between the United States and 
IMexico was proclaimed, garrisons were kept in all of the principal towns and the 
government of the territory was quasi-military. Attempts were made to estab- 
lish municipal governments in the towns, which were successful in the north ; 
but in I^os Angeles there was some clashing between Col. Stevenson and the 
" hijos del pais." There were rumors of uprisings and of Mexican troops on 
the way to recapture the place. Col. Stevenson completed the fort on the hill, 
begun by Lieut. Emory, and named it Fort Moore. There were no hostile acts 
b>- the citizens and the asperities of war were soon forgotten, as the natives became 
reconciled to the situation. 

The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was concluded on February 2nd, 1848. 
It was ratified at Washington March loth ; at Ouerataro May 30th, and was pro- 
claimed by the President of the United States July .^th. The news reached Call- 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 77 

fornia August 6th and was proclaimed next day by Gov. Mason. The war was 
over and CaHfornia had now become a territory of the United States. Gov. 
Pio Pico returned to CaHfornia from Mexico in August, 1847. Col. Stevenson, 
fearing that he might incite rebellion, placed him under arrest, but he was soon 
convinced that Pico's intentions were harmless and gave him his liberty. 

A large overland immigration from the United States arrived in California 
in 1846 and 1847. The Donner party, made up principally of immigrants from 
Illinois, were caught in the snows of the Sierra Nevada in October, 1848, and 
wintered at a lake since known as Donner's Lake. Of the original party, num- 
bering eighty-seven, thirty-nine perished of starvation and exposure ; the remain- 
der were brought to Sutter's Fort by rescuing parties sent out from California. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Transition Frqm a Conquered Territory to a Free State. 

WHILE the treaty negotiations were pending between the L^iited States 
and Mexico, an event occurred in California that ultimately changed 
the destinies of the territory. This was the discovery of gold, January 
24th, 1848. at what is now known as Coloma, on the American river, in the foot- 
hills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, about thirty-five miles above Sutter's Fort. 
Gold had previouslv been discovered on the San Francisquito Rancho, about forty- 
five miles northwesterly from Los x^ngeles, in the spring of 1841. Placers had 
been worked here, principally by Sonoran miners, up to the breaking out of 
the Mexican war. Rut the gold fields were of limited extent, water was scarce, 
the methods of mining crude and wasteful and this discovery created little ex- 
citement. Both discoveries were purely accidental. The first discoverer, Lopez, 
was hunting for stray horses. While resting under an oak tree and amusing 
himself bv digging wild onions with his sheath knife, he turned up a nugget 
of gold. He made known his discovery and a number of persons came from 
Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to work in these placers. John W. Marshall, 
who made the second discovery, was engaged in building a sawmill for Captain 
Sutter, proprietor of Sutter's Fort and owner of an extensive grant at the junction 
of the American and Sacramento rivers. Marshall, to deepen the race, turned 
a head of water through it. The next morning wdiile examining the efifect of 
the water, he picked up in the race a round piece of yellow metal, which he 
thought might be gold. Searching further he found several of these nuggets. 
He went to the fort to notify Sutter of his discovery. Sutter tested the metal 
with aqua fortis, pronounced it gold, and retin-ned with Marshall to the mill lo 



78 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

make furtlier iiivesti.qations. The men working on the mih had discovered the 
nature of the metal and had also been collecting it. Sutter found several nuggets 
and before leaving the mill exacted a promise from the men to keep the discovery 
a secret for six weeks. Beside the sawmill he was building a large flouring mill 
near the fort and he feared all of his men would desert for the mines. But the 
secret could not be kept. Mrs. Wimmer, who did the cooking for the men at 
the mill, told a teamster and he told the men at the fort. The news spread slowly 
at first and there were many who would not believe the report. It was three 
months before the rush began. Kemble, the editor of the California Star, visited 
the mines two months after their discovery and upon his return to San Francisco 
pronounced them a sham and advised people to stay away. During April con- 
siderable quantities of gold were received in San Francisco and the excitement 
became intense. The city had been building up rapidly since the conquest; but 
now the rush to the mines almost depopulated it. Houses were left tenantless, 
business was suspended, ships were left in the bay wdthout sailors, soldiers de- 
serted from the forts and rancheros left their grain unharvested. 

The news did not spread abroad in time to bring many gold-seekers into 
California during 1848. In the spring of 1849, the great rush from the outside 
world began — both by land and by sea. Gold had now been discovered over 
an area of more than two hundred miles and new fields were constantly being 
opened. San Francisco, which was the great entrepot for commerce and travel 
b}- sea, grew with astonishing rapidity. At the time of the discovery of gold the 
population of San Francisco was about 800 and the white population of California 
about 6000. At the close of 1849 the population of the territorv numbered one 
hundred thousand, four-fifths of which had reached it in that one year. During 
1848 Sutter's Fort was the great distributing point for the mines. Sacramento 
was laid out in 1849 ^^i^l soon became the chief commercial city of the interior. 
At the end of the year its population had reached 5000. 

California, in 1848, was still held as a conquered country. The Mexican 
laws were in force and the government was half civil and half military. The 
rapid influx of population brought complications. After the treaty was pro- 
claimed in California, August 7th, 1848, Gov. Mason promulgated a code of laws 
that were intended to tide over affairs until a territorial government could be 
established by Congress. It was not satisfactory to Americans. Gov. Mason 
was a faithful and conscientious military officer with but little knowledge of civil 
afifairs. He did the best he could under the circumstances, but he was able to 
exercise very little authority, either civil or military. His soldiers deserted to 
the gold fields and the municipal governments were anomalous affairs, generally 
recognizing no authority above themselves. Having been in the military service 
for thirty years, he asked to be relieved. April 12th, 1849, Brigadier-General 
r.ennctt K. Riley arrived at Monterey and the next dav entered upon the duties 
of his office as governor. Brig.-Gen. Persifer F. Smith was made military com- 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



79 






^>V^g 



mancler of the United States troops on the Pacific coast. Most of the troops 
he brought with him deserted at the first opportunity after their arrival 

A year had passed since the treaty of peace was signed, but Congress had 
done nothing for California. The pro-slavery element in that body was deter- 
mined to fasten the curse of slavery on a portion of the territory acquired from 
Mexico and all legislation was at a standstill. The people were becoming restive 
under the mixed military and civil government. The question of calling a con- 
vention to form a state constitution had been agitated for some time. Conform- 
ing to the expressed wish of many leading men of the territory. Governor Riley 
called an election August ist, 1849, to elect delegates to form a state constitution, 
or a territorial government, if that should seen best, and to elect judges, prefects 
and alcaldes for the principal municipal districts. The convention was to consist 

of thirty-seven delegates, 
but forty-eight were 
elected, and when it met 
at ^lonterey, September 
rst, 1849, ii'' Colton Hall, 
this number was seated. 
Colton Hall was a stone 
building erected by Al- 
calde Walter Colton for a 
town hall and school- 
house. The money to 
build it was derived 
partly from fines and 
partly from subscriptions 
and the greater part of the construction work was done by prisoners. It was at 
that time the most commodious public building in the territory. 

Of the forty-eight delegates, twenty-two were from the northern states, 
fifteen from the slave states, four were of foreign birth and seven were native 
Californians. Several of the latter neither spoke nor understood English and 
Wm. E. P. Hartnell was appointed interpreter. Dr. Robert Semple of Bear Flag 
fame was elected president ; Wm. G. Marcy secretary, and J. Ross Browne re- 
porter. Early in the session the slavery question was disposed of by adopting 
a section declaring that " neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, unless for 
the punishment of crimes, shall ever be tolerated in this state." The question 
of fixing the boundaries of the future state excited the most discussion. The 
pro-slavery faction was led by Wm. M. Gwin, who had recently come to the 
territory with the avowed intention of representing the new state in the United 
States senate. The scheme of Gwin and his southern associates was to make 
the Rocky mountains the eastern boundary. This would create a state with an 







COI.TOX HALT^. MONTEREY. 



80 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



area of about four hundred thousand square miles. They reasoned that when 
the admission of the state came before Congress the southern members would 
oppose the admission of so large a territory under a free state constitution and 
that ultimately a compromise would be affected. California would be split in 
two from east to west, the old dividing line, the parallel of 36° 30" would be 
established, and Southern California would coine into the Union as a slave state. 
There were, at this time, fifteen free and fifteen slave states. If two states, one 
free and one slave, were made out of California territory, the equilibrium would 
be preserved. The Rocky mountain boundary was adopted at one time, but in 
the closing days of the session the free state men discovered Gwin's scheme 
arid it was defeated. The present boundaries were established bv a majority 
of two. 

A committee had been appointed to receive propositions and designs for a 
state seal. But one design was received, presented by Caleb Lyon, but drawn 

by Robert S. Garnett. It contained a figure of 
Minerva; a grizzly bear feeding on a bunch of 
grapes ; a miner with his gold rocker and pan ; a 
view of the Golden Gate with ships in the bay and 
peaks of the Sierra Nevada in the distance ; thirty- 
one stars and above all the word " Eureka." The 
convention adopted the design as presented. The 
constitution was completed on October loth and an 
election was called by Gov. Riley for November 
13th. to ratify the constitution, elect state officers, 
a legislature and members of Congress. At the 
election Peter H. Burnett was chosen governor ; 
John ]\IcDougall, lieutenant-governor ; George W. 
W'right and Edward Gilbert, members of congress. 
During the session of the legislature, Wm. M. Gwin 
and John C. Fremont were elected to the Ignited 
States Senate. 
San Jose had been designated as the state capital. On Deceml)er 15th the 
state government was inaugurated there. The legislature consisted of sixteen 
senators and thirtv-six assemblymen. ( )n the 22nd the legislature elected the 
remaining state officers, viz. : Richard Roman, treasurer ; John S. Houston, con- 
troller; E. J. C. Kewen, attorney-general; Charles J. Whiting, surveyor-general; 
S. C. Hastings, chief justice; Henry A. Lyons and Nathaniel Bennett, associate 
justices. The legislature continued in session until April 22nd, 1850. Although 
this law-making body was named the " Legislature of a thousand drinks ", it did 
a vast amount of work and did most of it well. It divided the state into twenty- 
seven counties and provided for county government. It also provided for the 




HON. WM. M. GWIN. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



81 



incorporation of cities and towns ; passed revenue and other necessary laws, both 
civil and criminal. 

California was a self constituted state. It had organized a state government 
and put it into operation without the sanction of Congress. It had not been ad- 
mitted into the union and it actually enjoyed the privileges of statehood for nine 
months before it was admitted. When the question of admission came before 
congress it evoked a bitter controversy. The senate was equally divided — thirty 
members from slave states and thirty from the free states. There were among 

the southern senators some broad- 
minded men, but there were many 
extremists on the subject of slavery — 
men who would sacrifice their coun- 
try in order to extend and per- 
petuate that sum of all villainies — 
slavery. This faction resorted to 
every known parliamentary device 
to prevent the admission of Cali- 
fornia under a free state constitu- 
tion. On August 13th the bill for 
admission finally came to a vote ; it 
passed the senate — thirty- four ayes 
to eighteen nays. Even then the 
opposition did not cease. Ten of 
the southern extremists joined in a 
protest against the action of the 
majority. In the house the bill 
passed by a vote of one hundred and 
fifty to fifty-six. It was approved 
and signed by President Fillmore 
September 9th, 1850. On the nth of September the California senators and 
congressmen presented themselves to be sworn in. The southern faction of the 
senate, headed by Jefiferson Davis, who had been one of the most bitter opponents 
to admission, objected. But their protest came too late. 

The news of the admission of California as a state reached San Francisco 
on the morning of October i8th, by the mail steamer Oregon. Business was at 
once suspended, courts adjourned and the people went wild with delight. Mes- 
sengers mounted on fleet horses spread the news through the state. Everywhere 
there was rejoicing. For ten months the state government had been in full oper- 
ation ; its acts were now legalized and it continued in power without change or 

6 




HOX. I'ETEIl II. BURNETT, 
First Constitutional Governor of California. 



82 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



interruption under tlie officers elected in 1849 for two years. The first state 
election after admission was held in October. 185 1. John Bioler was elected 
ofovernor. 



i!' in 




rRT.EBRATION OP ADMISSION OF CALIFORNIA INTO THE UNION. CORNER OF CLAY AND 
KEARNEY STREETS, SAN FRANCISCO-lSaO. 

CHAPTER X. 

Vigilance Committkijs. Growth and Prosperity. 



THE tales of the fabulous richness of the California gold fields were spread 
throughout the civilized world and drew to the state all classes and 
and conditions of men — the bad as well as the good. They came from 
Europe, from South America and from Mexico ; from far Australia and Tas- 
mania came the ex-convict and the " ticket-of-leave " man ; and from Asia came 
the " Chinee." In 185 1 the criminal element became so dominant as to seri- 
ously threaten the existence of the chief city of the state — San Francisco. Ter- 
rible conflagrations swept over the city that year and destroyed the greater part 
of the business portion. The fires were known to be of incendiary origin. 
The bold and defiant attitude of the lawless classes led to the organization of 
the better element into a tribunal known as the '' Vigilance Committee," which 
disregarded the legally constituted authorities, who were either too weak or too 
corrupt to control the law-defying element and took the power in its own hands. 
It tried and executed, by hanging, four notorious criminals — Jenkins, Stuart, 
Whitaker and McKenzie. Such vigorous measures adopted by the Committee 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 83 

soon purified the city from the worst class that preyed upon it. Several of the 
smaller towns and some of the mining camps also formed " vigilance commit- 
tees " and a number of the rascals who had fled from San Francisco met a 
deserved fate in these places. 

During the early fifties the better elements in the population of San Fran- 
cisco were too much engrossed in the rushing business affairs of that period 
of excitement, to give time or thought to political affairs and consequently the 
o-overnment of the city gradually drifted into the hands of vicious and corrupt 
men. Many of the city authorities had obtained their offices by fraud and bal- 
lot stuffing and instead of protecting the community against scoundrels, they 
protected the scoundrels against the community. James King, an ex-banker 
and a man of great courage and persistence, started a small paper called the 
Daily Evening Bulletin. He vigorously assailed the criminal elements and the 
county and city officials. His denunciations at last aroused public sentiment. 
The murder of United States Marshal Richardson by a gambler named Cora 
further inflamed the public mind. It was feared that, by the connivance of the 
county officials, Cora would escape punishment. The trial resulted in a hung 
jury and there were strong suspicions that some of the jury had been bribed. 
King continued through the Bulletin to hurl his most bitter invectives against 
the corrupt officials. He published the fact that James Casey, a supervisor from 
the twelfth ward, was an ex-convict from Sing Sing prison. Casey waylaid 
King, May 14th, 1856, at the corner of Montgomery and Washington streets, 
and in a cowardly manner shot him down. Casey immediately surrendered 
himself to a deputy sheriff, Lafayette McByrne, who was near. King was not 
killed outright, but the physicians, after an examination, pronounced the case 
hopeless; Casey was confined in the city jail and as a mob began to gather there, 
he was taken to the county jail for greater safety. A crowd pursued him, cry- 
ing, " Hang him, kill him." At the jail the mob was stopped by an array of 
deputy sheriffs, police officers and a number of Casey's personal friends— all 
armed. The excitement spread throughout the city. The old Vigilance Com- 
mittee of 1 85 1, or rather a new organization out of the remnants of the old one, 
was formed. Five thousand men were enrolled within a few days, arms were 
procured and headquarters secured on Sacramento street between Davis and 
Front. William T. Coleman, chairman of the old vigilantes, was made the pres- 
ident and Isaac Bluxon, Jr., was the secretary; Clias. Doane was elected chief 
marshal of the military division. 

The San Francisco Herald, edited by John Nugent, then the leading paper 
of the city, came out with a scathing editorial denouncing the vigilance commit- 
tee. The merchants at once withdrew advertising patronage. The next morn- 
ing the paper appeared reduced from forty columns to a single page, but still 
hostile to the committee. It finally died from lack of patronage. Sunday, May 



84 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

i8th, 1856, the military division was ready to storm the jail if necessary to 
obtain possession of the prisoners, Casey and Cora. The different companies, 
1500 strong- and with two pieces of artillery marched from their headquarters 
and completely invested the jail. One of these guns was planted to command 
the door of the jail, and a demand was made on Sheriff Scannell for the pris- 
oners. The prison guards made no resistance; the prisoners were surrendered 
at once and taken to the headquarters of the vigilantes. On May 20th, while 
the murderers were on trial the death of King was announced. Both men were 
convicted and sentenced to be hanged. King's funeral, the largest and most 
imposing ever seen in San Francisco, took place on the 23rd. While the 
funeral cortege was passing through the streets, Casey and Cora were hanged 
in front of the windows of the vigilantes' headquarters. About an hour before 
his execution Cora was married to a notorious courtesan, Arabella Ryane. better 
known as Bell Cora. 

Governor J. Neely Johnson at first seemed inclined not to interfere with 
the vigilance committee; but afterward, acting under the advice of Volney E. 
Howard, David S. Terry and others of the dominant pro-slavery faction, he 
issued a proclamation commanding the committee to disband — to which no 
attention was paid. The governor then appointed William T. Sherman, major- 
general. Sherman called for recruits to suppress the uprising. Seventy-five 
or a hundred — mostly gamblers — responded. Gen. Wool, in command of the 
troops in the Department of the Pacific, refused to loan Gov. Johnson arms to 
equip his " Law and Order " recruits and Gen. Sherman resigned. A^olnev E. 
Howard was then appointed major-general. A squad of the vigilance commit- 
tee w^as appointed to arrest a man named Maloney who was at the time in the 
company of David S. Terrey (then chief justice of the state) and several other 
members of the " Law and Order " party. They resisted the police and in the 
melee Terrey stabbed the sergeant of the party. Sterling A. Hopkins, and then 
he and his associates made their escape to the armory of the San Francisco 
Blues, one of their strongholds. When the report of the stabbing reached 
headquarters the great bell sounded the alarm and the vigilantes, in a very 
short space of time, surrounded the armory and had their cannon planted to 
batter it down ; Terrey, Maloney and the others of their party in the building, 
considering discretion the better part of valor, surrendered and were at once 
taken to Fort " Gunnybags," so known on account of a breastwork made of 
gunnybags filled with sand wliich the vigilantes had placed about the building- 
used as headquarters. The arms of the " Law and Order " party at their 
various rendezvous were surrenderd to the vigilantes and the companies 
disbanded. 

Terrey was closely confined in a cell at the headquarters of the committee. 
He was tried for assault upon Hopkins, who finally recovered, and upon sev- 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 85 

eral other parties and was found gnilty ; but after he had been held a prisoner 
for some time, he was released. He was forced to resign his office as chief 
justice, however, and joined Johnson and Howard in Sacramento, where he felt 
safer than in San Francisco. 

On July 29th, Hethrington and Brace were hanged from a gallows erected 
on Davis street between Sacramento and Commercial. Both of these men had 
committed murder. The committee transported from the state some thirty dis- 
reputable characters and a number of others deported themselves. A few, 
among them the notorious Ned McGowan, managed to keep concealed until 
the storm was over. A few of the exiles returned after the committee was dis- 
banded and began suit for damages, but failed to secure anything. The com- 
mittee finished its labors and dissolved with a grand parade, August i8th, 1856, 
after doing a most valuable work. For several years afterwards San Francisco 
was one of the best governed cities in the United States. It is a noticeable fact 
that the vigilance committee was largely made up of men from the northern 
and western states, while the so-called " Law and order " party was composed 
mostly of the pro-slavery, ofifice-holding faction which then ruled the state. The 
rush of gold-seekers to California in the early fifties had brought to the state 
a certain class of adventurers — many of whom were too lazy or too proud to 
work. They were readv to engage in almost any lawless undertaking that 
promised plunder and adventure. The defeat of the pro-slavery politicians in 
their attempt to fasten their " peculiar institution " upon any part of the terri- 
tory acquired from Mexico made them very bitter. The more unscrupulous 
among them began to look about for new fields over which slavery might be 
spread. As slavery could only be made profitable in southern lands, Cuba, 
Mexico and Central America became the arena for enacting that form of piracy 
known as " filibustering." Although the armed invasion of countries with which 
the United States was at peace was in direct violation of international laws, 
yet the federal office-holders in the southern states and in California, all of 
whom belonged to the pro-slavery element, made no attempt to prevent these 
invasions, but instead secretly aided them, or at least sympathized with them 
to the extent of allowing them to recruit men and depart without molestation. 
One of the leading filibusters from California was a Tennesseean by the name 
of Walker. His first attempt was against Lower California. He captured La 
Paz and established what he called the Republic of Lower California and pro- 
claimed it slave territory. He and his army plundered and robbed wherever 
there was anything to be obtained. The country was so poor and his army so 
mutinous that he was compelled to abandon his so-called republic, after shoot- 
ing several of his dupes for desertion. After this he had a varied career as a 
filibuster in Central America. He was captured in Honduras in i860, court- 
martialed and shot. 



86 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



State Capitals. 



As has been previously stated, the constitutional convention of 1849 "^^^ 
in Colton Hall in Monterey. During its sessions the question of locating the 
capital came up. San Jose offered to donate a square of thirty-two acres val- 
ued at $60,000 for capitol grounds and give the free use of a building for meet- 
ings of the Legislature. The offer was accepted and the first Legislature con- 
vened there, December 15th, 1849. "^he first capitol of the state was a two- 
story adobe building, 40 by 60 feet, which had been built for a hotel. This 
building was destroyed by fire April 29th, 1853. The accommodations at San 

Jose were not satisfac- 
tory. The Legislature 
next accepted a proposi- 
tion from Gen. M. G. Val- 
lejo to locate the capital 
at his new town of Val- 
lejo. He offered to do- 
nate 156 acres of land for 
a site and within two 
years to give $370,000 in 
money to be expended in 
the erection of public 
buildings. When the 
members of the Legisla- 
ture met at the new cap- 
ital January 2nd, 1852, 
they found a large, un- 
furnished and partly unfinished wooden building for their reception. Accommo- 
dations were very poor and even food was wanting for the hungry law- 
makers. Sacramento then offered its new court house as a meeting place and 
on the i6th the Legislature convened in that city. The great flood of 1852 
inundated the town and the lawmakers were forced to reach the halls of legis- 
lation in boats — again there was dissatisfaction. 

Benicia now came to the front with the offer of her new city hall which 
was assuredly above high water mark. Gen. Vallejo had become financially 
embarrassed and could not carry out his contract, so it was annulled. The 
offer of Benicia was accepted and on May i8th, 1853, that town was declared 
the permanent capital. 

In the Legislature of 1854 the capitol question again came to the front. 
Proposals were received from several aspiring cities, but Sacramento won with 
the offer of her new court house and a block of land between I and J, Ninth 




STATE CAPITOL, BENICIA. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 87 

and Tenth streets. Then the question of locating the capital got into the courts. 
The supreme court decided in favor of Sacramento. Before the Legislature 
met again the court house burned down. A more commodious one was at once 
erected and rented to the state at $12,000 a year. Then Oakland made an 
unsuccessful attempt to secure the capital. Finally a bill was passed author- 
izing the erection of a capitol building in Sacramento at a cost not to exceed 
$500,000. Work was begun on the foundation in October, i860. The great 
flood of 1861-62 inundated the town and ruined the foundations of the capitol. 
San Francisco made a vigorous effort to secure the seat of government, but 
was not successful. Work was resumed on the building, the plans were changed, 

the edifice enlarged and 
finally after many delays 
it was ready for occu- 
pancy in December, 1869. 
From the original limit 
of half a million dollars, 
its cost when completed 
had reached a million and 
a half. The amount ex- 
pended on the building 
and the grounds to date 
is $2,972,925. 

State Senator E. C. 
Seymour, representing 
Orange and San Bernar- 
dino counties in the Thir- 

STATE CAPITOL. SACRAMENTTO. ^{^^1, ^nd Thirty-firSt SCS- 

sions, introduced a bill to remove the capital to San Jose. The bill passed, but 
the scheme was defeated in the courts. 




Civil. War. 

The Civil War (1861-65) did not seriously affect the prosperity of Cali- 
fornia. During its progress about 16.000 volunteers enlisted in the L^nion 
Army. Much to their disappointment these men were retained on the Pacific 
coast to fight Indians and keep the disloyal element in check. One battalion 
of five companies paid its own passage to the east and joined the Second Mass. 
Cavalry in which it did splendid service in Virginia and Maryland. Quite a 
number of Confederate sympathizers from California joined the Southern armies 
during the war. Those who remained in the state were closelv watched by 
the federal authorities and were not able to render much assistance to their 
friends of the South. 



88 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

Mining. 

Previous to i860 the chief industry of the state was mining-.' During the 
decade between 1850 and i860 a number of rushes were made to new diggings 
reputed to be rich in the precious metals. The most famous of these were the 
Kern river in 1855 and the Frazer river in 1857 — both ended in disaster to 
those engaged in them. In 1859 the silver mines of Washoe were discovered 
and a great rush made to these. The Comstock lodes were very rich and many 
fortunes were made. Stock gambling became a mania in San Francisco in 
which fortunes were lost. 

CattlK Raising. 

The southern part of the state was devoted to cattle raising which in the 
early sixties was immensely profitable. The land was held in large ranchos 
and at the time of the discovery of gold was mostly owned by native Califor- 
nians. The sudden influx of population consequent on the discovery of gold 
greatly increased the value of the cattle and made the stock owners rich. With 
wealth came extravagant habits and when the decline began they borrowed 
money at usurious rates and the high interest ruined them. The terrible dry 
years of 1863-64, when thousands of cattle starved to death, ])ut an end to 
cattle raising as the distinctive industry of the south. The decadence of cattle 
growing brought about the subdivision of the large ranchos and the develop- 
ment of grain growing and fruit culture. In the southern part of the state 
the culture of citrus fruits — the orange and lemon— has become the leading 
industry. In favorable localities in the central and northern sections of the state 
the production of deciduous fruits — the apple, peach, prune, pear, etc., takes 
precedence ; while the great valleys of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin 
are vast wheat fields. 

Railroad Building. 

Several schemes for the building of a trans-continental railroad were 
promulgated in California during the fifties. The first railroad built in the 
state was the Sacramento Valley road, which was completed to Folsom in Feb- 
ruary, 1856, and was twenty-two miles in length. The next was the road from 
San Francisco to San Jose, fifty-one miles long, completed January i6th. 1864. 
On June 28th, 1861, at Sacramento the Central Railroad of California was 
organized, with Leland Stanford, president; C. P. Huntington, vice-president; 
Alark Hopkins, treasurer; James Baily, secretary; and T. D. Judah, chief engi- 
neer. The capital stock of the company was fixed at $8,500,000. The whole 
amount of stock subscribed by its promoters would not have built five miles of 
road ; none of the men at that time connected with the road were rich and the 
whole afifair was regarded in the nature of a joke. On July ist, 1862, the 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 89 

Pacific railroad bill was passed by Congress, authorizing the issuance of gov- 
ernment bonds to the amount of $16,000 per mile to the foot of the mountains 
and of $48,000 per mile through the mountains. Forty miles had to be built 
and equipped before any bonds were issued. In addition to this there was a 
government land subsidy of 12,800 acres per mile. Ground was broken for the 
road at Sacramento, February 22nd, 1863. The Union Pacific was built west- 
ward from Omaha. On May loth, 1869, the two roads met at Promontory, 
near Salt Lake, and were united. 

The first road built in the southern part of the state was the Los Angeles 
and San Pedro, completed to Wilmington, in October, 1869. This connected Los 
Angeles with a sea-port and greatly facilitated commerce. The Southern Pacific 
Railroad was completed to Los Angeles, September 5th, 1877. It had, in 1872, 
obtained a subsidy from Los Angeles county of about $600,000; $225,000 being 
the Los x\ngeles and San Pedro Railroad. For this it was to build twenty-five 
miles of road north of Los Angeles and the same distance to the east. The 
northern end met the extension of the road south from Lathrop on the Central 
Pacific in the Soledad canyon on September 5th, 1876, when the last tie was 
laid and the golden spike driven. The eastern end was completed in 1883 to 
El Paso, where it met the Texas Pacific and thus gave California a second trans- 
continental line. 

The Atlantic and Pacific uniting with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, 
built jointly their main line from Albuquerque to the Colorado at the Needles. 
From there the Atlantic & Pacific built to Barstow about eighty miles north- 
east of San Bernardino ; thence the California Southern continued the line to 
San Diego. The road was completed to Col ton in August, 1882, and opened 
from San Diego to San Bernardino September 13th, 1883. In 1887 the road 
was built westward from San Bernardino until it met the San Gabriel Valley 
line — which was built eastward from Los Angeles to Mud Springs. The dif- 
ferent divisions of the road were united under one management with its west- 
ern terminus at Los Angeles, thus giving California its third transcontinental 
line. The growth of the state and particularly of the southern part of the state 
since the advent of the railroads has been phenomenal. 

Education. 

The first public school in California was opened at San Jose in December, 
1794, seventeen years after the founding of that pueblo. The pioneer teacher 
was Manuel de Vargas, a retired sergeant of infantry. Jose Manuel Toca, a 
ship boy, opened the first school in Santa Barbara, in 1795. ^Maximo Pina, an 
invalid soldier, was the first schoolmaster of Los Angeles, teaching in 18 17 and 
1818. During the Spanish era the schoolmasters were mostly invalid soldiers 
— men of little learning — about all thev could teach was reading and writing: 



90 BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 

and the doctrina Christiana. They were brutal tyrants and their school gov- 
ernments military despotisms. The people were indifferent to education and as 
the schoolmasters were paid by rate bills the terms were short and the vacations 
long. Mexico did somewhat better for public education than Spain. The school 
terms were a little longer and the vacations proportionately shorter, but it was 
not uncommon then for a vacation to last two or three years. 

During the war of American conquest the schools were all closed. After 
the cessation of hostilities in 1847, ^ school under army regulations was estab- 
lished in Los Angeles — or rather it was under the superintendency of Col. J. 
D. Stevenson, the military commander of the Department of the South. Dr. 
William B. Osburn was appointed teacher. This was the first English com- 
mon school established in California. After peace was declared and the munic- 
ipal governments organized, schools were opened in the large towns. These 
were subscription schools, although in some cases the town council appropri- 
ated public funds for the education of a certain number of poor children who 
were entitled to attend some private school. 

The first act to establish a common school system in California was 
approved May 3rd, 1852. Great advance was made in perfecting and building 
up this system from 1863 to 1869 under the administration of State School 
Superintendent John Swett, who has been called the " Horace Mann of Cali- 
fornia." The first state Normal School for " the training of teachers " was 
established in San Francisco in 1863. It was afterwards removed to San Jose. 
There are now five Normal Schools in the state. The public school system and 
the public schools of California rank among the best in the United States. 



■®3il& 









'n-^^^::t^:4iiM~^~^ 



\J' !l,i ]l " 



Governors of California. 



Under Spanish Rule. 

Caspar de Portala 1 767-1 771 Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga. . 1792- 1794 

Felipe de Barri 1771-1774 Diego de Borica 1794-1800 

Felipe de Neve 1774- 1782 Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga. . 1800-1814 

Pedro Fages 1782-1790 Jose Dario Arguello 1814-1815 

Jose Antonio Romeu 1790- 1792 Pablo Vicente de Sola 181 5-1822 

Under Mexican RueE. 

Luis Antonio Arguello 1822-1825 Jose Castro 1835-1836 

Jose Maria de Echandia. . . 1825-1831 Nicolas Cuiterrez 1836 

Manuel Victoria 1831-1832 Juan Bautista Alvarado. . . . 1836-1842 

Pio Pico 1832-1833 Manuel Micheltorena 1842-1845 

Jose Figueroa 1833-1835 Pio Pico 1845-1846 

Under American Military Rule. 

Commodore Robert F. Stockton Aug. 17, 1846-Jan. 16, 1847 

Captain John C. Fremont Jan. i6-March i, 1847 

General Stephen W. Kearney March i-May 31, 1847 

Colonel Richard B. Mason May 31, 1847- April 13, 1849 

General Bennett Riley April 13, 1849-Nov. 13, 1849 

Goxernors of State. 

Pether H. Burnett 1849-1851 Roniualdo Pacheco 1875 

John McDougal 1851-1852 William Irwin 1875-1880 

John Bigler 1852-1855 George C. Perkins 1880-1883 

J. Neely Johnson 1855-1858 George Stoneman 1883-1887 

John B. Weller i8s8-i86o Washington Bartlett 1887 

Milton S. Latham i860 Robert W. Waterman 1887-1891 

John G. Downey i860- 1862 Henry H. Markham 189 1 -1895 

Leland Stanford 1862-1863 James H. Budd 1895-1899 

Frederick F. Low 1863-1867 Henry T. Gage 1899-1903 

Henry H. Haight 1867-1871 George C. Pardee 1903-1907 

Newton Booth 1871-1875 J. N. Gillett 1907 



92 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 



Spanish and Mi^xican Land Grants in Los Angelks County, 



GRANT. 



CONFIRMEIS. 



Agiiaje dc la Centinela B. Abila 

Loa Alamitos A. Stearns 

Azusa A. Dnarte 

Azvisa Henry Dalton 

La Ballona A. Machado et al 

Boca de Santa Monica Ysidro Reyes et al 

Boca de la Playa E. Vejar 

La Brea A. Rocha et al 

Las Bolsas R. Yorba and M. C. Nieto. 

Cahnenga D. W. Alexander et al 

La Canada J. R. Scott et al 

Canada de los x\lisos J. Serrano 

Canada de los Nogales J. M. Aguilar 

Los Cerritos Juan Temple 

Paso de la Tijera T. Sanchez et al 

Las Cienegas J. Abila et al 

El Conejo J. de la G. y Noriega 

Los Coyotes Andreas Pico et al 

El Encino V. de la Osa et al 

El Escorpion LTrbano et al_ 

Los Feliz M. Y. Verdugo 

Lomas de Santiago T. Yorba 

La Habra Andreas Pico et al 

Huerta de Cuati V. Reid 

Island de S. Catalina J. M. Covarrubias 

La Liebre J. M. Flores 



ACRES. 

2,219 
28,027 
6,505 
4431 
i3'9i9 
6,656 
6,607 

4-439 

33460 

388 

5,862 
10,668 

1,199 

27-054 
4.219 

4439 

48,571 

48,806 

4,460 

1,109 

6,647 

47,226 

6,698 

128 

45,820 

48.799 



DATE. 



Los Angeles City lands City of Los Angeles 17,172 

La IMerced F. P. F. Temple 2.363 

Mission San Gabriel, lot. . . .J. S. Alemany 55 

Mission San Fernando, lot. . . Bp. J. S. Alemany 79 

Mission San Gabriel, lot Bp. J. S. Alemany 190 

Mission Vieja Juan Foster 46,432 

Ex-mission San Fernando. . . .F. de Cells 1 16.858 

Los Nogales Maria de J. Garcia et al. . . 1,003 

El Niguil Juan Abila 13,316 

Los Palos Verdes J. L. Sepulveda et al 31.629 

Paso de Bartolo, part B. Guirado 876 

Paso de Bartolo, part Joaquin Sepulveda 207 



Aug. 23 
Aug. 29 
June 6 
May 29 
Dec. 8 
July 21 
Mar. I 
April 1 5 
June 19 
Aug. 2 
Aug. I 
June 27 
May 4 
Dec. 7 
]\Iay 22 
June 15 
Jan. 8 
Mar. 9 
Jan. 8 
Dec. II 
April 18 
Feb. I 
Dec. 4 
June 30 
April 20 
June 21 
Aug. 9 
Aug. 4 
Feb. 13 
Dec. 4 
May 31 
Nov. 19 
Aug. 6 
Jan. 8 
June 29 
April 5 
June 23 
Sept. 27 
Mar. 17 



[872 
[874 
[878 
[876 

[873 
[882 
[879 

[873 

[874 
[872 
[866 
[871 
[882 
[867 

[873 
[871 

[873 
t875 
[876 
[883 
[871 
[868 
[882 

[859 
[867 

[879 
[866 

t875 
[872 

[875 
[864 

[859 
[866 

t873 
[882 

[873 
[880 

[867 



BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNL\ 



93 



Tracts near San Gabriel. 



Paso de Bartolo, part Pio Pico 8,991 Aug. 6, 

Potrero de Felipe Lugo Morilla & Romero 2,042 June 15, 

Potrero Grande J. INI. Sanchez 4,431 July 19, 

Prospero tract R. Valenzuela et al 23 Dec. 4, 

Providentia ,D. W. Alexander et al . . . . 4,064 Aug. 6, 

La Puente Workman & Roland 48,790 April 19, 

Rincon de la Brea G. Ybarra 4.452 Nov. 14, 

Rincon de los Bueyes F. Higuera et al 3,127 Aug. 27, 

San Antonio A. M. Lugo 29,513 July 20, 

Rodeo de las Aguas M. R. Valdez 4,419 J"ne 2"/, 

San Francisco Jacobo Feliz et al 48,61 1 Feb. 12, 

( Juan Silva 50 

H. P. Dorsey 50 

Michael White 78 

Jose Ledesma 22 

Daniel Sexton 227 

J. P. de Courtney 49 

Francisco Sales 19 

[ Jose Domingo 22 

San Francisquito Henry Dalton 8,893 

San Joaquin Jose Sepulveda 48,893 

San Jose Dalton. Palomares & Vejar. 22,340 

San Jose de Buenos Ayres. . . B. D. Wilsou 4438 

San Juan Cajon de Sta. Ana. J. P. Ontiveras 35,970 

San Jose, addition to Dalton, Palomares & Vejar. 4,430 

San Pasqual B. D. Wilson 708 

San Pasqual Alanuel Garfias 13,693 

San Pasqual Juan Gallardo 700 

San Pedro Al. Dominguez et al 43-i 19 Dec. 18, 

San Rafael Julio Verdugo et al 36,403 Jan. 28, 

San Vicente y Santa Monica. .R. Sepulveda 30,259 Ji-dy 23, 

Santa Anita Henry Dalton 13,319 Aug. 9, 

Santa Gertrudes T. S. Colima 3,696 July 17. 

Santa Gertrudes Mcfarland & Downey 17,602 Aug. 19, 

Santiago de Santa Ana B. Yorba et al 78,941 Dec. 21, 

Sausal Redondo A. L. Abila 22,458 Mar. 22, 

Simi J. de la G. y Noriega 1 13,009 June 29, 

Tajauta E. Abila 3,559 Jan. 8, 

Temescal E. de la Cuesta 1 3,339 Sept. 13, 

Topanga Malibu Sequit M. Keller 13.315 Aug. 29, 

Tejunga ..D. W. Alexander et al 16,609 Oct. 19, 

Las Virgenes M. A. Machado 8,885 Sept. 5, 



1881 
1871 
1859 
1875 
1872 
1867 
1864 
1872 
1866 
1871 
1875 









Aug. 


26, 


1871 


June 


17, 


1871 


Mav 


16, 


1871 


Jan. 


20, 


1871 


June 


20, 


1871 


Aug. 


23, 


1871 


May 


30, 


1867 


Sept. 


19. 


1867 


Jan. 


20, 


1875 


J^iiy 


5, 


1866 


Mav 


21, 


1877 


Dec. 


4, 


1875 


Feb. 


12, 


1881 


Apri 


3- 


1863 



858 
882 
881 

866 

877 
870 
88.3 

875 
865 

873 
871 
872 

874 
883 



Condensed History of Los Angeles County. 



CHAPTER I. 

Organization. 

THE history of " el pueblo de Los Angeles ", as the central point of the 
southern district of the territory of Alta California, has already been given 
in the state history. We have followed the growth of the town from its 
founding, in 1781, to its final conquest and occupation by the United States troops 
in 1847. We have seen the rise and the fall of the mission establishments of 




ORIGINAL CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS. 1S:;2. 

San Gabriel, San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano, and the occupation of 
the fertile valleys and mesas by the great ranchos granted to settlers of Spanish. 
Mexican and Californian birth and to a few Americans. At the time of the 
state organization, the territory included in I,os Angeles county was distributed 
in large tracts ranging from a few thousand to more than a hundred thousand 



96 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

acres. The oldest of these grants was occupied as early as 1784, that being 
the date assigned for San Rafael rancho, granted to the Verdugos. Santa Ana 
was granted to the Yorbas and Simi to the Noriegas among the earliest allotments. 

The government of the L'nited States early appointed commissioners to 
examine into land titles in California and for a number of years investigations 
were made and patents issued or refused to the claimants. There was much 
confusion and no little fraud connected with the final allotment of titles, although 
there were not so many disputed claims in this district as in the north. About 
seventv-five patents were issued to lands in tlie county. 

Los Angeles was one of the twenty-seven counties created by act of the 
first California legislature, April i8th, 1850. Its boundaries as first indicated 
were very indefinite, extending from San Diego coimty on the south to Santa 
Barbara on the north and from the Pacific to " the top of the coast range." The 
second legislature amended the act by making the boundaries more exact and 
extending them to the eastern state line. The area of the original county was 
about 34,000 square miles, almost as large as the state of Indiana. In 1851 
the ]\Iormon colony purchased the San Bernardino grant and established their 
colony of San Bernardino. In consequence San Bernardino county was set 
ofif from Los Angeles April 26th, 1853, taking an area of 20,055 square miles 
from the mother county. In 1866 Kern county was created, taking part of its 
territory from this county. After long discussion and dissension, Orange county 
was created, March nth. 1889, taking 780 square miles, which leaves Los An- 
geles with a present area of 3957 square miles. Pomona county has been several 
times proposed and strong efforts have been made to secure its creation from 
[,os Angeles and San Bernardino territory but, thus far, the movement has not 
been successful. 

The first county election took place April ist, 1850. The census for this 
year gives the county a population of 3530 ; 377 votes were cast and the officers 
chosen were: Judge, Augustin Olivera ; clerk, B. D. Wilson; attorney, Benjamin 
Hayes ; surveyor, J. R. Conway ; treasurer, Manuel Garfias ; assessor, Antonio 
F. Coronel ; recorder, Ignacio del Valle ; sherifif, George T. Burrell ; coroner, 
Charles B. Cullen. August 7th, 1851. the county was divided into six townships, 
Los Angeles, San Gabriel, San Jose, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, San Juan 
Capistrano. The supervisors were not elected until June 14th, 1852, civil afifairs 
in the meantime being administered by the " court of sessions ", appointed by 
the military governor. The first supervisors were Jefif'erson Hunt, Julian Chavez, 
F. P. F. Temple, Manuel Reciuena and Samuel Arbuckle ; the board was organ- 
ized with Arbuckle as chairman and B. D. Wilson, county clerk, clerk. The 
office of juez de campo, judge of the plains, was continued for a number of 
years after the American occupation, as late as 1872, although it was a part 
of the machinery of the Mexican administration. It was the duty of this officer 
to attend rodeos, settle all questions relating to brands and to the handling and 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



97 



division of stock. They were appointed to different districts and were given 
large jurisdiction. 

One of the first important poUtical questions discussed in the southern 
district was that of forming a separate state. In 1850, before Cahfornia had 
been received into the union, a petition requesting that the southern district be 
left out of the state was prepared. It was felt that the rancheros of the south, 
thinly populated as it was, would receive but small favor from the north, which 
held the bulk of the population, and would have to pay an undue proportion of 
the expenses of state government. In 1859, an act was passed by the state 
legislature permitting a vote upon a proposal to divide the state ; but it failed 
to go through. State division has been a topic for much discussion and news- 
paper wisdom since that time, a bill for division being 
introduced in 1888; but has never since become a 
serious issue. 

The first state senator from this county was Dr. 
A. W. Hope, succeeded by Stephen C. Foster, one of 
the earliest and most prominent of American settlers. 
The first assemblymen were A. P. Crittenden and 
Montgomery Martin, who were succeeded by Don 
Abel Stearns and Ignacio del Valle. Los Angeles 
county and Southern California bore little part in the 
active government of the state during the first three 
or four decades of its existence. The first governor 
elected from the south was John G. Downey, inaug- 
urated January 14th, i860. He was long one of the 
leading citizens of Los Angeles and had served as as- 
semblyman and lieutenant-governor also. Since that 
time this county has furnished three governors — 
George Stoneman, Henry H. Markham and Henry T. Gage. As United States 
senators, Cornelius Cole, Stephen M. White and Frank P. Flint have been resi- 
dents of Los Angeles county. 

The discovery of gold brought wealth to Southern California, as well as 
to the north. J. J. Warner in his " Centennial History " says : " The discovery 
of the ' mines ' in the vear 1848 carried away many of the native population ; 
created a new demand for the horses and cattle which the southern rancheros 
could so easily supply ; brought a multitude of emigrants from Sonora, as well 
as from the LTnited States; left the people at home here (in Los Angeles) in 
a state of perpetual excitement and exultation. During the summer of 1849 and 
the year of 1850, Los Angeles was a thoroughfare of travel. With, or without 
means, the incomers crowded on ; seldom destitute, for their needs were supplied, 
when known, by generous hospitality from the Lugos of San Bernardino; Isaac 
Williams of Chino; Rowland and Workman at Puente and the liberality of native 




HON. JOHN G. DOWNEY. 



98 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



Californians. With the people of Los Angeles, 1850 was a year of enjoyment, 
rather than an earnest pursuit of riches. Money was abundant. All sought 
to make the most of the pleasures of life." A strong contrast here toi the mad 
rush for gold in the placer mines. The prosperity of the rancheros continued 
for several vears. In 1857 a drought retarded the progress; but the increased 
market for stock and the importation of stock from the states had greatly in- 
creased the wealth of the county. The population of the county was 11,333 i" 
i860. The floods and the long drought of the early sixties; the disturbed condi- 
tion of the country and the cessation of immigration made the increase slow 
during the next ten years. The census of 1870 shows only 15,309 inhabitants. 
The first court house of Los Angeles was the adobe house which had been 
used as a government building during the later days of the Mexican rule. In 
1859 the ofifices were removed to the Temple building, which was known for 
many vears as the " court house " ; this was located on the block where the 

Bullock block now stands. 
During the sixties the 
count y purchased the 
building and it was occu- 
pied until the erection of 
the present fine building 
in 1890, at a cost of 
$550,000. 

The first school in Los 
Angeles, taught in the 
English language, was 
under the instruction of 
Rev. Dr. Wicks and J. G. 
Nichols, in 1850. In 1854 
there were four schools 
in the county, two of 
them being taught in 
English. In 1855 there 
were three school districts, Los Angeles, San Gabriel and El Monte, with 
T191 school children. Antonio F. Coronel acted as first superintendent of schools, 
succeeded in 1855 by Dr. John S. Griffin. In 1856 there were seven schools, 
four of them being in the city. In 1866 the county had 12 school districts and 
in 1876 123 teachers with a total valuation of school property of $202,262. In 
1906 the county had 1616 teachers and school property amounting to $4,715,015. 
Many of the earlier settlers of the county were southern in sentiment and 
as the question of slavery began to threaten difficulties, there was much unrest 
and dissension. Another element of the population came from the mining dis- 
tricts of the north — mostly of those who had failed to find wealth. The spirit 
of lawlessness which prevailed in the state was not absent in this county. Crime 




"OLD" COURT HOUSE. 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 99 

was rampant and robbery and murders were every-day occurrences. The courts 
seemed unable to meet the situation and the best citizens were uneasy T 
pro-slavery sentiment led to the attempt at state division in 1859; but on the 
breakn.o. out of the war, the people generally rallied to the Uni!.n and h r 
was no open disloyalty m this county. In 1861 a union club was organiz d and 
a regunent of volunteers was raised. Camps were maintained at Drum Bar 

racks, Wilmington, and at Camp Latham on the 
Ballona grant, and troops were stationed in the city 
at times, and at Fort Tejon. The agitation against 
the Chinese was not as aggressive in this county as 
in the north, the celestials were too useful in the 
vineyards and orchards ; yet there was much discus- 
sion and public meetings were held to uphold the 
anti-Chinese movement. The terrible Chinese mas- 
sacre of October 24th, 1871, was not a direct result 
of feeling against the race ; but originated in a quar- 
rel between two C^iinese factions over a woman. 
In an attempt to quell the disturbance an officer and 
two citizens were wounded by the Chinese. This 
aroused a mob. who rushed into the Chinese quarter 
and slaughtered right and left, without regard to 
right or mercy. Their houses were looted^ by the 
mob and nineteen deaths resulted from the affair 
The poi3ulation of the county more than doubled during the seventies, the 
census of 1880 showing 33.454 souls. The completion of transcontinental lines 
and the boom swelled the population to 101,381 in i8c,o, despite the 13,000 
taken out by Orange county the previous year. Since that date Los Angeles 
county has rapidly advanced until now she stands second in the state and is 
a power to be reckoned with in all political questions. 




ANTONIO F. CORONEL. 




CHAPTER II. 

Stock Raising and Agriculture. 

STOCK raising, which was practically the only industry of Southern Califor- 
nia at the time the country passed into the hands of the United States, 
continued to be the chief source of wealth for Los Angeles county until 
the severe drought of 1863-4. According to the census report of 1850, the great 
county of Los Angeles had but 2648 acres of improved land and in i860 but 20,000 
acres was under cultivation. The great influx of gold-seekers provided a new 
market for cattle and horses, which largely increased prices, and the rancheros of 
Southern California were as " flush " as the miners of the north, for a time. The 
value of live stock steadily increased and in i860 it is given as $1,451,000, although 
there had been heavy losses, many cattle dying of starvation during the drought 
of 1857. But the long dry spell, lasting two years and over, almost wrecked 
the business. Stock died, or was killed to save the hides, until almost none was 
left. After this time, the rancheros devoted more attention tO' sheep and the 
flocks were greatly increased, while cattle were handled in smaller bunches and 
improved stock was introduced by the Americans. The breaking up of the 
big ranchos began and a number of new settlements were made during the 
seventies. As early as 1844 Jose Palomares, owner of the San Jose rancho, 
where Pomona is now located, sold ofif a number of small tracts of land to INIex- 
icans, who took water from the San Jose creek and formed a prosperous little 
settlement. About the same time Juan Bandini induced a partv of New Mex- 
icans to settle on his Jurupa grant, now the site of Riverside, and the village 
of Agua Mansa, with flourishing orchards and grain fields resulted. In 185 1 
the Mormon settlement of San Bernardino was begun and these industrious 
people soon demonstrated that small farms could be made profitable in this 
country. In 185 1 a number of immigrants, mostly from the southern states, 
settled at El Monte. Here was a natural cienega and the low damp lands were 
especially adapted to the growing of corn and hogs. In i860 this settlement 
had a population of over one thousand and was a noted place in the early history 
of the county. In 1874 it had a newspaper, the Observer, and a hotel. At 
Spadra, Ruebottom's hotel was a stopping point for all stages to the east and 
a noted hostelry in the sixties. This was also one of the earliest American set- 
tlements. About 1865 Governor Downey began to break up his Santa Gertrudes 
rancho and the settlement of Downey followed. Here, too, corn yielded mar- 
velous crops and the raising of hogs and of dairy cattle was profitable. Thus 
gradually small farms, with diversified farming, took the place of the old-time 
exclusive stock raising and Los Angeles county lost her distinction as a " cow " 
county ; although the raising of stock and dairying is still a profitable business. 



102 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

Much attention in later years has been given to the prockiction of blooded stock, 
especially horses; while the value of the dairy products for 1905, according to 
the state agricultural report, reached a million dollars. 

In 1857 a party of Germans, mostly artisans resident in San Francisco, 
purchased a tract of land near the Santa Ana and established the settlement of 
Anaheim. At first most of the tract was set to vineyards and the colonists en- 
gaged extensively in wine making. This was the first horticultural settlement. 
Mission grapes had been set extensively during the sixties and seventies and 
wine-making became one of the most important resources of the county. In 
1879 two million gallons were produced beside 50,000 gallons of brandy. There 
were then thirty distilleries in the county. The cultivation of the wine grape 
began with the " mother " vineyard at San Gabriel, which was planted from 
sHps brought from Lower California. In 183 1 Los Angeles city had over 100 
acres of grapes and there were 50,000 vines growing on Los Nietos rancho. 
The Californians began early to manufacture wines and aguadiente and in 
1850 the county is credited with 57,000 gallons of wine. This was shipped to 
San Francisco and brought good prices. In 1855 Sansevaine brothers shipped 
the first California wine to New York city and by 1861 L. J. Rose, B. D. Wilson 
and the Sansevaines were making large shipments to the east. L. J. Rose, Don 
Mateo Keller, Kohler and Frohling, and others were among the earlier manu- 
facturers who spent much time and money in experimenting, introducing new 
varieties of grapes and improved methods of wine making. The cultivation of 
the white muscat grape for raisins began about 1877-78 and for a time this grape 
was planted very widely and raisins promised to become one of the greatest crops 
of the county, but the appearance of the vine disease about 1885 destroyed many 
vineyards and greatly discouraged both wine and raisin makers. 

In the early seventies attention was turned to wheat raising on an extensive 
scale. J. B. Lankershim was one of the first growers, planting a large acreage 
on the San Fernando rancho. He was also one of the owners of the first large 
flour mill erected in the county. Dan Freeman was another large wheat grower, 
on the Centinela rancho. In 1879 Los Angeles county produced 752,000 bushels 
of wheat, from 22,000 acres of land, according to Bancroft. Corn was also 
Ir'rgely cultivated and barley was raised for hay on a large scale. But as the 
possibilities of irrigation and horticulture developed, land became too valuable 
for wheat culture, as it had already advanced beyond the possibility of profitable 
use for grazing purposes. 

During the eighties the chief feature of agricultural development was the 
extension of irrigation systems. Irrigation had been practiced to some extent 
since the first settlement of the country. The San Gabriel and San Fernando 
missions and the settlers of Los Angeles had irrigated considerable areas and 
built somewhat elaborate works. The waters of the San Gabriel and Los Angeles 
rivers had been utilized bv means of o])cn ditches for many years; but now 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 103 

began the fonnation of water companies who improved upon the old crude 
methods and developed water from unused sources. In 1867 the first artesian 
well was put down by Downey and Hellman about six miles from Wilmington. 
Artesian water was found to be available in many districts and has been devel- 
oped until now probably half, at least, of the water used for irrigation in this 
county comes from this source. In 1876 the land under irrigation in the county 
was estimated at 26,900 acres; in 1890 70,164 acres were under irrigation, mostly 
devoted to citrus culture. 

The mission fathers planted orange trees at San Gabriel soon after its 
establishment. In 1834 Louis Vignes, a Frenchman, who was one of the first 
foreigners to locate in Los Angeles, planted an orange garden on his place, 
known at that time as " El Aliso." This garden, surrounded by a high adobe 
wall, contained not only oranges, but all the fruits then known in the country. 
He also had a considerable vineyard and established a winery, under the great 
sycamore tree, which gave the name of "El Aliso" to the place. In 1841 Wil- 
liam Wolfskin set out two acres of oranges, procuring the stock from San 
Gabriel. These trees bore the first oranges that were ever put on the market 
in this state and yielded such large profits that in 1858 Mr. Wolf skill set out 
thirty acres on land lying between Alameda and San Pedro, Third and Seventh 
streets. In 1852 B. D. Wilson set a grove at San Gabriel; but in 1856 there 
were only 100 orange bearing trees in the country, these surrounded by walls 
to keep out wandering cattle. The total yield was 100,000 oranges, which were 
sold by the hundred and brought a net income of $100 per tree, so Mr. Wolfskill 
stated. From this time the planting went on rapidly. About 1873 Thomas A. 
Garey, the pioneer nurseryman of the county, and L. J. Rose, B. D. Wilson and 
others began to introduce different varieties of citrus fruit, importing them from 
Europe, South America and Florida. The most valuable of these varieties proved 
to be the Mediterranean Sweet. About 1880 the Washington Navel was brought 
into the county from Riverside and its excellent qualities soon made it the favorite. 
Between 1880 and 1890 the planting of citrus fruit was at its height. Stimulated 
by the ready money and the exuberant hopes of boom times, large areas were 
put under irrigation and planted out. Pomona. Alhambra, Whittier, Sierra 
Madre and many other districts were thus started by people who looked forward 
to making an easy fortune from citrus culture. In 1874 there were 34.700 
bearing orange trees in the county; in t88o. 192.000 bearing trees, and in 1892 
1,500,000 trees were growing. 

In 1857 scale made its first appearance; but its inroads were not serious 
until the appearance of the cottony cushion scale about 1890. This especially 
affected trees near the coast and in a single year the crop in Los Angeles county 
fell from 2212 cars to 718 cars. But the introduction of the Australian "lady- 
bug " proved an effectual remedy and the groves were saved bv this parasite. 
INIany of the earliest seedling orchards have now passed out of existence, the 



104 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

land being used for town lots, or for alfalfa or truck farming. Yet Los Angeles 
county still leads in the production of citrus fruits, the value of the crop for 1906 
being estimated at $4,000,000 and there being 1,738,213 bearing orange trees 
in the county. 

The introduction of alfalfa from San Bernardino county in the later fifties 
gave a valuable crop for suitable lands and proved a great boon to the dairy 
farmer. The culture of the sugar beet was attempted about 1879 and in 1880 
Messrs. Nadeau and Gemmert planned to build a sugar factory at Florence. 
This did not materialize, but later the location of sugar factories at Chino, Ala- 
mitos and Oxnard supplied a market and a considerable acreage is annually 
planted to beets. The growing of vegetables and small fruits has become an 
important branch of our agriculture and large quantities are raised for home 
use and for shipping. 

Diversified farming and the small farm, intensively cultivated, is the rule 
in the vicinity of Los Angeles now. Oranges, lemons, walnuts, olives and decid- 
uous fruits are raised wath profit in many districts ; grain and hay are produced 
on " dry " farms and the northern portion of the county still furnishes range for 
cattle and sheep. Los Angeles is now one of the leading agricultural counties 
in the state, her horticultural and garden products, in 1902, being valued at 
$10,307,290, and her cereals and hay at over $1,000,000, with dairy produces of 
equal value. And the possibilities are by no means exhausted. There is yet 
much valuable land which can be utilized and much room for increased produc- 
tion in lands alreadv under cultivation. 



CHAPTER III. 

Mining and Manufacturing. 



ALTHOUGH the first gold discovered in California was found in this 
county, Los Angeles has never ranked high in gold production. In 1852 
placer mines were found in the San Gabriel canon and quite an excite- 
ment followed. Considerable gold dust was taken from these mines which con- 
tinued to yield for many years in paying quantities. Gold was found on the Santa 
Anita ranch in 1856 and there was a rush in that direction; some mines were also 
located on Catalina island and gold mines have been claimed at some other points 
in the county. But the only paying claims were those of the San Gabriel. Silver 
and other minerals have been found at various points ; but no very rich mines 
have been uncovered. 

The mineral wealth of the county is. however, large ; it produces a large 
quantitv of petroleum — which is quite as valuable, in its way, as gold. It is 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 105 

said that Andreas Pico used to supply the priests at San Fernando mission with 
oil from Pico cafion, and it was from this district that the first oil wias taken. 
In 1859 the Pioneer Oil Co. was formed and wells were bored on the La Brea 
rancho and in other districts where brea or asphaltum indicated petroleum ; 
but no oil in merchantable cjuantity was found until about 1865, when wells 
were bored in Pico canon and a considerable oil excitement prevailed. The 
first shipment of crude oil was made from these wells in 1867. But no very 
active progress was made until improved machinery for drilling- and pumping 
came into use about 1877. Then the Pico and Newhall wells became large 
producers and the refinery at Newhall was built and, for a number of years, 
was successfully operated. The demand for the petroleum was not very active 
until about 1885, when a company was fonned to foster its use as a fuel and 
produced a distillate which could be used for domestic and manufacturing pur- 
poses in a suitable burner. The Puente oil fields were exploited during the 
eighties ; but the pre-eminence of this county as an oil producer did not com- 
mence until the discovery of oil in Los Angeles city. In 1892, Messrs. Doheny 
and Conner drilled a well in the old West Second street park which proved to 
be a gusher.- At once other wells were put down in this district and soon a 
forest of derricks had arisen. By 1895 over 300 wells were in operation in, or 
near, the city and their yield is put at 730,000 barrels. About this time an oil 
burner for use in locomotives was perfected and the Santa Fe road began to 
use crude oil as fuel. Manufacturing plants and steam vessels found oil from 
30 to 60 per cent, cheaper than coal. This fuel also presented many other ad- 
vantages and rapidly grew in favor, so that in spite of the greatly increased 
output, the price rose. An oil " boom " naturally resulted. Oil companies were 
numerous and prospecting was done in all sorts of likely and unlikely districts. 
The Whittier field, the Sespe and other districts in Ventura county were devel- 
oped. There are now several refineries in the county and in 1905 over 1200 
wells were yielding, their product reaching 4,000,000 barrels, valued at $1,755,000. 
The cheapness and abundance of oil has been one of the leading factors in the 
rapid progress of our county, giving a possibility of meeting eastern competition 
in manufacturing, and being a large element in the development of our electric 
railway systems and electrical power plants. Not its least benefit is in the im- 
provement of our public roads through the use of crude oil. We have now 
about 7000 miles of public roads in the county. These, when properly treated 
with oil, become almost dustless and as hard as macadainized roads, an advantage 
of incalculable benefit in this country. 

Second in our list of mineral wealth comes the clay products of the county. 
Nearly all of the Californian dwellings and of the missions were built of un- 
burned brick. Tiling, ollas and clay utensils were made by the Indians and 
Mexicans. The first kiln-dried brick were made in Los Angeles in 1852 by 



106 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



Captain Jesse Hunter of the Mormon battalion, and used to Imild a house at 
the corner of Third and Main. In 1855 Mullaly, Porter and Aver started a 
brick yard and in 1858 manufactured 2,000,000 brick. It was known that a 
number of vahiable clay beds existed and several brick yards utilized the clay ; 
but it was not until the nineties that the business assumed large proportions. 
With the steadily growing demand for building material, not only brick, but 
artificial stone, concrete blocks and many other forms of manufactured clay 
products for building purposes have been devised. Water pipe was first made 
at Santa Monica in 1877. The manufacture of water and sewer pipe is now 
a large business. There are eighteen or twenty establishments manufacturing 

brick, pipe, potter^', concrete, and so 
on and their annual production runs 
into the millions. An art tile factory 
has lately been established at Tropico. 
The first carriage in California. 
P>ancroft states, was purchased by 
Temple and Alexander of San Pedro 
in 1849, tlie price, including horses, 
being $1000. Its appearance created 
a sensation in Los Angeles. In 1853 
Anderson and Mathews advertised as 
carriage makers, and soon afterward 
John Goller began business as a black- 
smith and wagon maker. Warner 
says that his first wagon remained on 
hand a good while, the native people 
gazing on it with curiosity and dis- 
trust and then going back to their 
carretas. A number of firms now 
turn out vehicles — to the amount of 
$7!; 1, 720, in 1906. 

In 185 1 the first flour mill was put 
up in Los Angeles; there had long been "el Molino " at San Gabriel. In 1855 
Don Abel Stearns and Jonathan R. Scott built a brick flour mill. About the same 
time Henry Dalton had a flour mill on his Azusa rancho. The Eagle mills were 
built in Los Angeles in 1865 and destroyed by fire in 1874. There are now a 
number of flouring and grist mills in the county and their product for 1906 is 
given as $3,038,855. 

In 1857 James Woodworth started a broom factory; in 1861 Perry and 
Woodworth established their planing mill and also manufactured beehives, furni- 
ture, etc. In 1873 P.arnard Ijrothers built a woolen mill on Pearl street. At 
this time the annual wool clip was very large and for some years this mill made 




DON ABEL STEARNS. 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



107 



blankets and woolen cloth ; but it seems never to have been very successful and 
at last shut down, while the mill was used for the first ice plant in the city. 

Within the last few years many new ventures in the way of manufactures 
have been made. In 1903 the model town of Dolgeville was established. Here 
felt is made and piano hammers and other articles for which felt is used. There 
are now several shoe factories in the county, one being located at San Pedro 
and one at Venice. The meat packing industry is one of the most important in 
the county, the product of packed meats, lard and by-products reaching ^'4,000,000. 

Los Angeles does not claim pre-eminence as a manufacturinp region, yet 
the last report of the state agricultural board lists her manufactured products 
as reaching a total of $20,000,000. which is not bad for a beginning. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Transportation and Co,m merge. 

TRADING vessels had entered the port of San Pedro from the earliest his- 
tory of California, and the port had been a busy place in the forties. In 
August, 1840, according to Henry Melius, thirteen vessels touched at this 
port. In 1849 tl^e fii'st steamer, the Goldhunter, entered 
the port. The first steamer to make regular trips was 
the Ohio, which carried passengers to San Francisco, 
charging " $55 for cabin passage, the bill of fare consist- 
ing of salt beef, hard bread, potatoes and cofifee, without 
milk or sugar." Freight was $25 per ton. In 1872 the 
Pacific Mail Steamship Company put on its service, with 
passenger fare at $15 and freight $5 per ton. Before 
the building of the railroad in 1869 freight was hauled 
to the city by carts or wagons at the rate of $1.00 per 
hundredweight in the fifties. In 1852 Alexander & 
P)anning put on the first stage, fare to the city $10; in 
1867 J. J. Tomlinson established a rival stage line and 
Benjamin Hayes writes : " I vividly remember stand- 
ing in front of the Ignited States Hotel in 1868, one 
night of a steamer's arrival, and hearing the rival stages 
of Banning and Tomlinson come up Main street, racing 
to get in first, the horses on the gallop and in the darkness a man on each stage 
blowing a horn to warn people in the street to clear the track." 

In 1855 fifty-nine vessels landed at San Pedro; in 1865 loi vessels touched 
at the port and in 1875 4^6 vessels entered; in 1906 1700 vessels arrived bringing 
miports to the value of $15,000,000. In 1858 the port was changed from San 
Pedro to Wilmington, through the action of Col. Phineas Banning in building 
up that town. In 1871 the government, after several preliminarv survevs, made 




GEN. PHINEAS BANNING. 



108 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 



an appropriation and began improving the harbor. From that date to the 
present work has continued more or less interm'ittentlv. and a very large sum 
has been expended in carrying- out the extensive plans for the improvement of 
the imier harbor and the construction of an outer harbor. 

\\> have seen the Californians galloping from San Diego to Monterey on 
their tough little horses, the best saddle horses in the world, all early visitors 
agree. Enroute they stopped at missions or ranchos and received entertainment 
and found fresh horses furnished them at every stopping place. Or, if a party 

were traveling, it might be accompanied 
by two or three Indian servants, driving 
a band of horses which supplied fresh 
mounts each day. Their women, and 
their baggage or freight, were trans- 
ported in carretas, the framework made 
of poles and hides and mounted on 
wooden wheels. The earliest mails were 
delivered more or less regularlv by post 
riders. Even after the American occu- 
pation Los Angeles had no regular mails 
and no stages for several j^ears. 

In 1851, Gregory's Great Atlantic and 

Pacific Express arrived in Los Angeles, 

bringing the first direct overland mail to 

the town, forty-nine days from St. Louis. 

^^—^^-^^^^^^—^^^^— ^'i^it one trip seems to have finished the 

ri^jHtt^Hj^^^^H^^^^^HI Great Atlantic, we hear 

'^PJ^^PPII^^^^^^^^^ it. In 1852 a stage line was established 

between Los Angeles and the north, but 
it does not seem to have been main- 
tained regularly until about 1857, when 
David Smith established a bi-monthly route ^ia Visalia. In 1862 a reg- 
ular tri-weekly stage ran from San Jose to Los Angeles. In the early 
fifties stages ran to San Bernardino, and Phineas Banning put on a regular 
stage between the city and San Pedro. In 1859 a weekly stage made tri])s to 
San Diego. In 1858 the Rutterfield stage route was established. This carried 
the mails from St. Louis via the southern route through Los Angeles to San 
Francisco and gave the first regular overland mails ; the distance was 2880 miles 
and the shortest time made was twenty-one days. This service was a great 
advance over any previous one and was greatly appreciated; but in 1861 it was 
replaced by the pony express, which traveled the central route. In 1857 Wells 
Fargo opened an office in Los Angeles. For years this company did the banking 
of the country as well as the express business. 




MILITARY SADDLE OF DON ANDRES PICO. 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 109 

In 1866 Banning- & Co. put on a fast coach from Wilmington to Fort Yuma, 
giving a seventy-two-liour ride, which was considered a feat in those days. 
The advertisement for this line reads : " Leave for Fort Yuma at 4 o'clock every 
Monday, passing through Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Returning, leave 
Fort Yuma every Sunday at 3 o'clock a.m." In 1867 a daily mail stage was 
maintained between Los Angeles and San Jose, then the terminus of the railroad. 
At the same time regular stage lines were operated between Los Angeles and 
Tucson, Arizona, and another line went to Prescott. 

As the central point for so many stage lines, and as the outfitting point for 
a large trade carried on by wagon trains, Los Angeles was not altogether dull 
in the days before the railroad came. In the fifties the trade with Salt Lake 
was established and for many years large quantities of freight were hauled to 
Salt Lake, to Arizona, and even as far north as Idaho and Montana. In March, 
1859, the Star reports 150 wagons leaving with goods to the amount of $180,000. 
This freighting business was of such importance and profit that when a railroad 
from San Pedro to Los Angeles was first proposed, there was decided opposition 
to it ; and the Southern Pacific met the same obstacle when it made its first pro- 
posals in this section. A bill for a railroad between the port and the city was 
proposed in 1861, but although the county was granted permission to vote bonds 
for the road, nothing was done until 1867, when the question of granting the 
directors a subsidy of $150,000 from the county and $75,000 from the city was 
submitted to the people and was carried by a vote of 672 to 700 — a close shave. 
The road was completed in 1869 and, despite the gloomy forebodings of many 
citizens, soon proved itself a valuable asset to the county. In 1872 the Southern 
Pacific was building its line southward through the San Joaquin valley; two 
routes were surveyed, one through the Soledad pass and San Fernando valley 
to Ix)s Angeles, with heavy grades and costly tunnels ; the other crossed the 
Mojave desert to Needles, a comparatively easy route. After much discussion 
and negotiation, the railroad company agreed to take the Los Angeles route, 
provided the county would vote bonds to the amount of $500,000, including its 
holding in the Los Angeles and San Pedro road. The railway company on its 
part agreed to construct fifty miles of track within the county inside of eighteen 
months and within two years should connect Los Angeles and Anaheim by rail 
and should carry its main trunk line on its way to connect with any southern 
transcontinental line, through Los Angeles valley. The company carried out 
its agreement and completed its line north to San Fernando and east to Spadra, 
the first train going over the road April 4, 1874. The construction of the San 
Fernando tunnel required more than a year and the cost is reported at two and 
a half millions. The connection between Los Angeles and San Francisco was 
made September 8th, 1876 — a great day in the annals of this county. The 
Southern Pacific was completed to its eastern connection in March, 1881, thus 



no CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

giving a through southern r(xitc — a consummation which had heen talked of since 
the early fifties. 

The building of the Los Ar.geles and Independence road from Santa Monica 
to Los Angeles has been gone into in the Santa Monica history. It was fully 
believed at the time that this line would be continued to Independence and pos- 
sibly to a connection with the Central Pacific in L'tah. In 1884 the Los Angeles 
and San Gabriel Valley road was constructed to^ Pasadena, its opening being 
celebrated by an enthusiastic excursion party. September 17th, 1885. Later it 
was completed to the San Gabriel river and in 1887 taken over by the Santa Fe 
system. 

In 1879 representatives of a new corporation, the Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa Fe, which was building a transcontinental line, visited California and 
decided upon San Diego as the terminus and the Cajon pass as the gateway for 
their road. In 1885 the Santa Fe company purchased the Southern Pacific 
branch already built from Needles to Mojave and built the connection between 
Barstow and San Bernardino, thus completing its line and giving Southern Cal- 
ifornia a second transcontinental line. November 29th, 1885, its trains began 
running into Los Angeles, using the Southern Pacific tracks from Colton until 
the completion of its own line in 1887. 

The completion of the Santa Fe led to a rate war which was the first cause 
of the " boom " of 1886-7. ^t first the passenger rate from Chicago was dropped 
from $115 to $70, while freight rates were mercilessly slashed. On February 
2Tst, 1886, tickets between the coast and the Missouri river were sold for $25; 
March 6th the prices dropped to $20 from Chicago and $35 from New York. 
For a few hours on March 8th tickets were sold in Los Angeles by the Southern 
Pacific for a flat rate of $1.00 to Missouri river points. This was the ctdmination. 

Naturally, such an opportunity was seized by thousands of people who had 
hitherto never dreamed of seeing Cahfornia ; and during the year thai rates were 
below the normal, the rush continued. At first the newcomers lOoked around 
and purchased improved property, at reasonable figures ; as the inflvix continued, 
prices rose and property in and about Los Angeles changed hands at figures 
which astonished old timers ; then the speculative fever seized old residents and 
new comers alike ; and professional boomers and real estate sharks helped to 
feed it. Townsites were laid out anywhere ; at first a business block, a hotel 
and water pipe and sidewalks were sup])lie(l ; later the bare ground staked ofT, 
was sold at the price of city lots. Advertising, auctions, bands and excursions 
helped the excitement and sold the property to people who confidently expected 
to make from fifty to five hundred per cent, on their deals — as had been actually 
done in some cases. Many of the present thriving towns of this county were 
thus born and, having real merit in spite of the wild methods and hopes, they 
have survived their fiimsy foundation. Such are Glenclale, " Garvanzo ", " Ah- 
susah ", Glendora, Alhambra, l^niversitv, and others. While the real estate 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 111 

boom had, of course, a tremendous reaction and there were many losses, there 
was also large gain. Substantial improvements were made as a result which 
greatly enhanced the value of property and prepared the way for a more solid 
advance. Many water companies organized during this time developed the 
water supply ; many orchards set out as a speculative venture, proved to be solid 
investments ; many buildings which were put up under the influence of inflated 
values, helped to create confidence and soon became fitted to the demand. At 
the height of the boom, in May, June and July, 1887, usually the dullest months 
in the year, the real estate sales in this county reached $35,067,830, for the three 
months. After this sales began to drop ofif. Yet during 1887-8 nearly $20,- 
000,000 was expended in building. A large number of dummy, or narrow-guage 
roads were built during this period and many branches of the railway lines were 
completed. The cable system of Los Angeles was one result of the sudden ex- 
pansion. 

In 1886 a narrow-gauge line was built between Los Angeles and Glendale 
and in 1887 another narrow-gauge road was built to Pasadena. This road, 
known as the " Cross " road, absorbed the Glendale branch. In 1890 the " Ter- 
minal " Company, an organization of eastern capitalists, purchased the Cross 
roads and built a line to San Pedro. It was then believed that this was a move 
to secure terminal facilities at San Pedro for the Union Pacific ; but the plans 
for the completion of the line failed to materialize and it was not until 1900, 
when Senator W. A. Clark of Montana secured a controlling interest in the Ore- 
gon Short Line, that active work began in carrying out the long-talked-of con- 
nection between Los Angeles and Salt Lake. In 1906 the San Pedro and Salt 
Lake railway was completed, thus giving Southern California another transcon- 
tinental line and opening up a new and rich territory tributary to Los Angeles. 
Los Angeles county now has nearly 700 miles of steam railway within her bor- 
ders ; she has three transcontinental lines centering within her limits ; she has 
the fine harbor of San Pedro, beside ports at Port Los Angeles, Redondo and 
Long Beach. She is thus fully equipped to hold her place as the distributing 
point for a verv large territory and has at her command ample and easily reached 
markets for all of her surplus products. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Day of the Trolley. 

FR(3M the shrieking, log-wheeled, ox-drawn carretas, moving at the rate of 
two miles, or less, an hour to the broad gauge passenger coach, speeded 
by electric motive power at the rate of sixty miles an hour, is a transfor- 
mation that some citizens of Los Angeles have seen. The changes in the business 
and social life of the people, in the building and the general aspect of the country 
are scarcely less amazing. The city of Los Angeles, which in 1880 had a pop- 
ulation of 11,000 and was still for the most part made up of one-story adobes, 
has become a metropolitan, modern city, with a population of 250,000 and with 
twelve and fourteen story buildings equal to any in the LTnited States. And 
the county has kept pace with the city. The assessment for 1880 for the county 
gave a total valuation of $18,593,773, while the assessment for 1907 was 
$375,719,358. In 1880 there were but three banks in the county, all in the city ; 
there are now about sixty banks doing business, nearly half of them in outside 
towns. In 1880 the county reported 192,000 bearing orange trees; the latest 
report of the State Roard of Agriculture gives this county over 1,500,000 bear- 
ing orange trees and over 3,000,000 bearing fruit trees of all varieties. These 
figures are but indications of the tremendous changes brought about in the past 
quarter of a century by the development of our natural resources, the exploita- 
tion of our incomparable climate and the influx of eastern capital which has 
built up our railway systems. There can be no question that a large credit for 
our prosperity is due to our transportation facilities. The advance movement 
in the county began with the entry of the Souhern Pacific and Santa Fe roads; 
during the boom years a number of " dummy " roads were built, connecting 
the city with Pasadena, Glendale, Hollywood and Norwalk, and a broad gauge 
road to Santa Monica. During these years the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific 
built many branch roads — Pasadena, Santa Ana, and intermediate points ; 
Redondo ; Ballona and Santa Monica ; Long Beach, and Orange. Many new 
town sprang up along these lines and older places, like Downey, Compton, 
Florence, and a dozen other farming communities, took on a new aspect under 
the stimulus of the railroad. 

In 1874 the first street-car line in the city of Los Angeles was built, run- 
ning down Spring street to Sixth. Horses, or more likely mules, were the 
motive power. A number of other horse-car lines followed and it was consid- 
ered in those days that Los Angeles was very well provided for in the way of 
transportation. In 1884 the first cable line was built, out West Second street 
to Belmont hill. This did not ])rove a successful venture and was aban- 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 113 

doned, as was an electric line attempted that same year, running out Pico street. 
During the boom a company was organized and plans were laid for a cable 
system which should give rapid transit to all parts of the city. Under the super- 
vision of Col. J. C. Robinson, an experienced engineer, these plans were carried 
out and June 8th, 1889, the first division of the new service, the line starting at 
the Grand Avenue power house, now the postoffice, down Seventh and " Fort " 
streets to the Baker block, was put in operation. The Temple street, Boyle 
Heights and Downey avenue divisions followed. 

In 1 89 1 the West Second street electric line was built and the first car went 
over it July ist. This line over the heaviest grades in the city was looked upon 
with very serious doubts at first. But when its success was assured, develop- 
ments were rapid. In 1892 the Pasadena and Mount Wilson Company was 
organized bv T. S. C. Lowe, and this, at the time the most remarkable moun- 
tain road in the world, was completed in 1893. 

In 1895 Messrs. Sherman and Clark built the electric line to Pasadena. 
This was the first inter-urban street-car line and it was freely predicted that 
" it would never pay." Yet the next year the same gentlemen announced their 
intention of building an electric line to Santa INIonica, and carried out their 
purpose. In 1895 the Traction Company entered the field and built their Uni- 
versity line. 

But the trolley history of the county really began when the Cable Railway 
system was sold under foreclosure to the Electric Street Railway Company, in 
1898, for $1,344,320. The company was at once reorganized and in 1901 H. 
E. Huntington was announced as its head. The extension of lines in the city 
since that date has gone steadily on. But the greatest work has been in the 
building of suburban lines. First the Pasadena line was extended to Altadena 
and the foot of the Mt. Lowe Incline ; lines were built to Alhambra and 
San Gabriel, to Hollywood and Glendale. Then Long Beach, San Pedro, 
Redondo, and Newport were reached. These lines were constructed by the 
Pacific Electric Company and the Los Angeles Pacific. Within the past two 
or three years, roads have been built to Whittier, Monrovia, Covina, and Santa 
Ana. In 1903 the Pacific Electric constructed its building in Los Angeles, 
which gives a central point for its suburban lines. A number of elaborate and 
costly power plants supply the motive power and a large number of sub-stations 
distribute it. The expenditure of the many millions of dollars necessary to build 
and maintain this network of railways has been no small factor in our general 
prosperity. 

The extension of these roads with their frequent and comfortable service 
caused an expansion of the beach towns. Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo 
and Santa Monica experienced a sudden rise in values that recalled the days 
of '87. New beach settlements. Ocean Park, A'enice, Playa del Rey, Manhat- 

8 



114 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

tan, Hermosa, and half a dozen others were platted and pnt on the market. The 
qnick transit bronght new settlers to the beach ; it also brought crowds of 
pleasure seekers ; and at once new bathhouses and pavilions, hotels and piers 
were provided. It is probably safe to say that the population of our beach 
towns has been more than doubled during the past seven years. 

But the suburban lines have created many new settlements between the 
city and the beach. People who could never hope to own a home within the 
city have been able to purchase a lot or a tract outside of the city, and at the 
same time be within easy reach of their places of business, or of labor. Many 
handsome homes have been built along the electric lines and such residence 
districts as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Hollywood, South Pasadena, Hunting- 
ton Park, and others, have shown that there is a demand for high class sub- 
urban property. 

The electric lines also carry the mails, express and freight. So satisfac- 
tory has their freight service proved that the older steam lines cannot compete 
with them. They are now handling carload lots which are transferred direct 
to the steam lines. The fact that they can give a frequent service and stop 
wherever freight or express matter is to be handled has been of great benefit 
to the dairymen and small farmers. They are thus able to put their vegetables, 
berries and jiroduce on the market with an ease and a promptness which adds 
largely to their profits. 

Los Angeles county increased in population at the rate of 67 per cent, be- 
tween 1890 and 1900. And her progress in the present decade has been accel- 
erated and will doubtless show an even greater gain in 1910. And we cannot 
f|uestion that there is a relation between the mileage of our electric railways, 
now about 700 miles in the county, and our growing population. 



CHAPTER VL 

Cities and Towns. 



THE history of the city of Los Angeles is so closely interwoven with that of 
the county that the two can hardly be separated. Although Monterey 
was the capital most of the time during the early history of the country. 
Los Angeles had more inhabitants and was the center of a larger settled district. 
After the gold rush of the early fifties. San Francisco, Sacramento, and a number 
of northern towns exceeded Los Angeles in jwpulation ; but within the past three 
decades Los Angeles has steadily passed its rivals until now it is the second county 
and the second city in the state. During the past twenty-six years Los Angeles 
has made the most rapid, as well as the most constant, growth in population 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 115 

of any important city in the United States, the popnlation now being estimated 
at 300,000. 

There are now twenty-seven incorporated cities in the connty, of which 
Pasadena, after Los Angeles, is the first in size. 

Pasadena. 

In August, 1873, a number of people, residents of Indiana, sent a committee 
to California to look over the country and select a tract for colonization, to be 
devoted to citrus and fruit culture. After traveling over Southern California 
these gentlemen decided upon a body of 4000 acres of the San Pasqual rancho. 
This grant had been made to Manuel Garfias in 1843 ^^^^ ^vas at this time owned 
by Dr. John S. Griffin and B. D. Wilson. The beautiful and highly improved 
ranches of L. J. Rose and Mr. Wilson, in this vicinity, showed what might be 
accomplished here. There were about fifty people in the original Indiana colony ; 
but many of these were unable to carry out their agreement and in consequence 
the purchase of the land was completed by a new organization, the Orange 
Grove Association. Each shareholder received a fifteen-acre tract while the 
balance of the land was held for the benefit of the company. In 1875 the name 
of Pasadena, meaning " Crown of the Valley ", taken from some Indian dialect, 
was adopted in place of " Indiana Colony." 

The original irrigation system of the Orange Grove Association was the 
first in California to distribute water under pressure, through iron pipe. The 
plan was such a radical change from the old system of earthen ditches and 
little wooden flumes that it was much commented upon and criticised ; but it 
has since then been largely imitated. 

The settlers built homes and started a school, in 1874, in a private house. 
The first church, the Presbyterian, was built in 1875-6 at a cost of $4200. In 
March, 1880, Pasadena held a citrus fair which attracted many visitors and 
showed the quality of fruit that could be produced. At this time the town had 
a tri- weekly stage and mail service. In 1882 the Pasadena Land and Water 
Company was formed and took over the rights and properties of the Orange 
Grove Association. The Lake Vineyard Company had been formed in 1874 
and had purchased land adjoining that of the Orange Grove Company, secur- 
ing their water rights from the heirs of B. D. Wilson. Thev had sold a con- 
siderable area which was under irrigation and was known as the " east side ", 
while the settlement of the Indiana Colony was the " west side." A conflict 
grew out of the adjustment of the water rights of these two associations w'hich, 
after a number of years of uncertainty, was settled bv a compromise satisfactory 
to all. 

In 1884 the Los Angeles and San Galiriel road was built to Pasadena; in 
1887 this became a part of the Santa Fe system. The Cross " dummy " road 
reached the town in 1887, and the first street car line was built this year. The 
old Raymond hotel was built in 1886 and first drew the attention of the tourist 



116 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

world to the attractions offered by Pasadena and its environs. The burning 
of this hotel in 1895 was a severe blow. 

The town was incorporated in 1886. In 1901 it adopted a freeholder's 
charter. It is known as one of the best governed and most orderly towns of 
the country ; while its municipal improvements are unexcelled. In Throop 
College, established in 1894, it has the only strictlv tcclmical school in Southern 
California. Pasadena is a city of beautiful homes and magnificent hotels. It 
is now a mecca for the wealthy easterner who wishes to escape winter severities. 
The perfection of the trolley lines enables its people to do business in Los Angeles 
and has practically given the smaller city all the advantages of the larger place 
while still maintaining her own restful distinctiveness. 

Long Be:ach. 

The town of Long Beach was started about 1882 and had, at first, a very 
gradual growth. It was first known as a summer resort for those wishing a 
quiet, orderly place. Its fine beach gave it a strong attraction. For many years 
the Methodists held their annual campmeeting here. The Chautaucjua Associa- 
tion adopted it as their center, also, and a large pavilion to accommodate their 
summer assemblies was erected about 1890. The town has always been a " no 
license " place and still remains so. It was incorporated in 1888 and disincor- 
porated in 1896. The following year it was reincorporated and in 1907 adopted 
a freeholder's charter. In 1900 it had a population of 2252; in 1906 when the 
census was taken for the charter election, the population was 12,591, and 15,000 
is now claimed. The town has taken on new life since the completion of the 
trolley line and has made a record for building and improvements of every 
character. 

An inland harbor is being constructed here and a large shipping plant 
is in course of construction. With the completion of these improvements Long 
Beach will become an important shipping center. 

Pomona. 

In 1874 the Los Angeles Land and Water Company, of which Thomas 
A. Garey, C. E. White, L. M. Holt, Milton Thomas, R. M. Town and H. G. 
Crow were members, purchased from J. S. Philips, a tract of land which had 
been a part of the San Jose grant, made to Jose Palomares. The company 
secured water rights from the Palomares heirs and also put down four artesian 
wells from which a considerable flow was obtained. A town site was laid 
out and the land surrounding it was divided into tracts. In February, 1876, 
an auction sale of these lots was held which resulted in (lis])osing of $19,000 
worth of land — a surprising feat for that time. A number of houses were 
built and orchards set out and a little town grew up. In 1877 a fire almost 
destroyed the settlement and for some time the place did not recover itself. 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 117 

The Southern Pacific reached the town in 1876. In 1882 the Pomona Land 
and Water Company was formed and by vigorous action placed the irrigation 
system upon a sounder basis and secured an increased supply of water. Like 
all Southern California towns, Pomona experienced rapid growth during the 
years of 1886-1887, and many new buildings were put up at that time. A 
handsome hotel, the Palomares, was built ; banks, school houses and street 
improvements added. The town was incorporated in 1888. Claremont was 
started in 1887, its chief inducement for the prospective buyer being a very 
handsome " boom " hotel. This was later made the seat of Claremont College, 
one of the largest preparatory schools in this part of the state. The town is 
practically a part of Pomona. 

In 1889 the beautiful statue of Pomona was presented to the- city by one 
of her pionef r residents, Rev. C. F. Loop. Pomona is the center of a very rich 
farming section and of the finest citrus orchards in the country. Its shipments 
of fruit, both fresh and canned or dried, is very large. 

Whittier. 

About 1887 a colony of Friends from Indiana located on a tract of the 
Paso de Bartolo rancho, near Ranchita, as the ranch house of Pio Pico was 
known. The settlers at first devoted themselves almost exclusively to citrus 
culture and the little village prospered as its orchards came into bearing. 
About 1890 it was chosen as the site of the State Industrial Home, for the 
accommodation of which buildings to the value of nearly a million dollars 
have been erected. About 1895 the Whittier oil fields were developed and 
since that date a very large amount of high-grade oil has been annually pro- 
duced by this section. It is estimated that the product for the last year brought 
$1,000,000 into the community. In 1898 the town was incorporated. In 1900 
the census gave it a population of 1,590, but it has grown very rapidly, 
especially since the completion of the electric line and there are now between 
five and six thousand inhabitants. A Friends' college, with an endowment of 
$150,000, is maintained. 

Monrovia. 

In 1886 W. N. Monroe laid out the townsite of ^Monrovia. Its beautiful 
location in the foothills of the Santa Anita rancho, attracted a number of wealthv 
families who built handsome homes. A large number of orange groves were 
set out ; water was procured from Sawpit Canyon, and the town grew rapidly 
during the boom years. It was incorporated December 12th, 1887. Like all 
Los Angeles county towns it has taken on a new lease of life within the past 
few years. The completion of the electric line to the place in 1906 gave an 
added impetus to its growth. It now claims 4,000 inhabitants. 



118 CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

San Pedro. 

In 1849 but a single building stood upon the bluff, known as Timm's 
landing. About this point a little settlement grew up in the early fifties ; a 
wharf was built and a warehouse and some stores and residences followed. 
But in 1858 General Phineas Banning, who handled most of the stage and freight- 




TIMM'S LANDING. 



ing business from the port, started a new town some six miles to the north 
and for a time the first town languished. However, after the building of the 
railroad in 1869, the old settlement revived. In 1888 the town was incorporated. 
The completion of the Terminal road and the extension of the Southern Pacific 
service gave improved facilities. The vast sums of money expended by the 
government in improving the harbor have also been of great benefit in building 
up the town of San Pedro. It is now the most important port in California, 
after San Francisco, and the volume of business carried on through the place is 
constantly increasing. Since the building of an electric line in 1905, a large 
addition to the business has been made and many public improvements have 
been undertaken. 

Wtlmincton. 

In 1858 Phineas Banning. J. G. Downey and B. D. Wilson purchased a 
tract of land and laid out the town of " New San Pedro." A wharf and ware- 
house was built here and all the business of the Banning Company was trans- 
ferred to this point. A reservation was donated to the government for barracks. 
Here Drum Barracks was built, and from the lieginning of the civil war until 1865 
or later, large numbers of troops passed through this port and were garrisoned 
here. It was the miltary headquarters, at that time, for this section and Arizona. 



CONDENSED HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY 119 

In 1863 the name was changed by act of the legislature to Wilmington and 
in 1874 the government changed the name of the port to Wilmington, which 
is still the official title of the harbor. In 1864 General Banning established the 
Wiiiniiigton Journal^ the first paper in the county outside of Los Angeles. 
It was a well put up and news.y sheet. As the starting point for stages for 
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Arizona points, Wilmington was a lively 
place during the later sixties. 

In 1873 Wilson College, endowed by B. D. Wilson, was opened and for 
a number of years prospered, under the Rev. Dr. Campbell. The building 
was a large two-story house, which accommodated a number of boarding pupils. 
The rebuilding of " Old San Pedro " took away the prestige of Wilmington. 
The town which had been incorporated in 1872, repealed its incorporation in 
1887 and remained a village until 1905. when it was reincorporated as a city 
of the sixth class. 

The improvement of the harbor has greatly benefited Wilmington and a 
large amount of shipping business is now done at its wharves. 

Redondo. 

The town of Redondo was started in 1887, by a company which built a 
very large and handsome hotel and also supplied a wharf. The Santa Fe, after 
m.aking an attempt to secure suitable terminal facilities at Ballona Port, 
determined upon Redondo as a harbor and entered the town with its railroad 
in 1888. The town was incorporated in 1892. It was reached by an electric 
line in 1904 and now has two electric lines connecting it with the city. The 
Pacific Light and Power plant, one of the largest in the United States, is located 
here. A large amount of freight is handled, especially lumber from the 
coastwise steamers. 

Other Towns. 

Other incorporated towns not mentioned are Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, 
Claremont, Compton, Covina. Glendale, Hermosa Beach, Hollywood, Hunt- 
ington Park, Sierra Madre. Vernon and Watts. Many of these have grown up 
within the past four or five years, a number of them, as Claremont. Hermosa 
Beach, Huntington Park, Sierra Madre and Watts have been incorporated 
within the past year. 




HON. JOHN P. JONES. 



History of Santa Monica Bay Cities. 



CHAPTER I. 

Santa Monica Bay Region. 

THE BAY OF SANTA MONICA extends along the coast from Point 
Vicente, latitude 33° 40' to Point Dume, latitude 34° a distance of seven- 
teen miles, north by west. The coast line of the bay makes an inward 
sweep which is some ten miles deep at its extreme point, in the neighborhood 
of Port Los Angeles, and includes an area of 25,000 miles. The waters of this 
bay are, ordinarily, quiet since the force of the waves is broken by the seaward 
islands and the deep, recessed position of the shore line. The depth of the 
water increases from the beach outward with an easy and gradual slope for 
several miles. 

The shore line is most varied. At its northern extremity, Point Dume 
rises, domelike, to a height of 200 feet, and back of it the Santa IMonica range 
rises abruptly almost from the waters of the shore to a height of 2,000 feet 
and forms the northern border of the bay. Gradually the slope falls into the 
palisades and sinks to the sand dunes and the Ballona lagoon, then rises again 
into low hills along the southern rim. Back from the palisades sweep the gently 
rising plateaus of the San Vicente and San Jose de Buenos Ayres ranchos. 
Southward extend the cienegas and pastures of the Ballona creek district and 
the low, rolling ranges of the Sausal Redondo and San Pedro region. 

The Santa Monica Bay territory thus includes a large variety of scenery, 
a most varied topography and a wide range of resources. Its mountains fur- 
nish an invaluable water supply ; the greater part of its lower lands are readily 
supplied with water from wells, while a considerable portion of the region needs 
no irrigation and includes some of the most valuable farming land in Los An- 
geles county. The distinctive topography of this district accounts for a climate 
which is incomparable, since it has all the advantages of both coast and inland 
— the freshness of the ocean air, with the freedom from harsh winds, of the 
interior. 



122 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIFS 



DiscoxKin' AND Exploration. 

The first explorer of the CaUfornia coast, Cabrillo, after spending six days 
in San Diego Harbor, which he named San Miguel, sailed along "a mountainous 
coast, overhung with smoke," landed at Catalina to which he gave the name 
of Victoria, then anchored in a bay which he called "Bahia de Fumos" (Bay of 
smoke). San Pedro Bay and, on October 9, 1542 he dropped anchor in an 
"ensanada" or bight which is generally granted to have been Santa Monica 
Bay. At just what point he anchored is not known, but undoubtedly Cabrillo 
was the first European to observe the palisades, the fair fields and gentle rolling 
hills that mark this coast. After this brief visit there is no record of vessel 
or visitor to this region for more than two hundred years. 




ARCH-ROCK. DI.SIXTEGRATED AND FELL WOfi. 



The waters of the bay were sometimes disturbed by the rude boats of the- 
Santa Barbara Channel and Island Indians: the valleys adjacent to the coast 
and the Santa Monica mountains were the homes of a people who have long 
since disappeared and of whose existence we know only by the occasional un- 
covering of skeletons and relics. Several caves and mounds containing cur- 
ious collections of implements, weapons and bones have been found on the 
Malibu ranch at various times. These Indians roamed over the plains and 
through the cienegas, killing rabbits and small game and gathering acorns and 
grasses, roots and berries. They also fished along the shore, mostly with nets, 
and gathered shells — their most prized possession. It is said that these shells 
were particularly abundant along the shore where Ocean Park and Venice now 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 123 

stand and that the Indians from the interior and from Catalina used to visit this 
spot to secure shells which took the place of money with them. 

Vizcaino describes the Indians seen along the coast of California during 
his explorations early in the seventeenth century as of good form and of active 
character, the men wearing a short cloak made of rabbit or deer skins, heavily 
fringed, the more industrious having their garments embroidered with shells. 
He describes a rancheria seen along the shore in this vicinity as composed of 
about twenty houses made of rushes over a frame of poles driven into the ground. 
These were very like the brush ramadas still constructed by the Indians of 
California. Bancroft states that the Indians of Los Angeles county ate coyotes, 
skunks, wildcats and all sorts of small animals. They would not eat bear meat 
or the flesh of large game for superstitious reasons. They were poor hunters 
having no effective weapons, and hunted deer by hiding themselves under a 
skin with the head and horns intact, until they were within bowshot. They 
made fishhooks, needles and other small articles of bone and shell, ground their 
acorns and seeds in a metate, or stone mill, and constructed wooden boats or 
tule rafts for their fishing expeditions, using seines made of tough bark. 

The Name. 
The Indians were the only occupants of the coast for some time after the 
beginnings of settlement had been made at San Gabriel and Los Angeles. It 
is claimed that the party of Captain de Portala, which made the first overland 
expedition through California in 1769 in search of the Bay of Monterey, passed 
through a canada near the present location of the Soldier's Home and paused 
under a group of sycamores while Fathers Crespi and Gomez, the priests ac- 
companying the expedition, said mass. A very old sycamore tree is pointed 
out as the one where the service was performed and is still looked upon with 
veneration. 

We have no authentic account of how the name Santa Monica came to be 
applied; but the old Spanish settlers have a legend of its origin which may be 
true. The story is that a couple of Spanish soldiers were given a furlough to 
explore the region about the new "pueblo de Los Angeles." They came one 
day to a couple of clear bubbling springs near the ocean. After drinking, they 
threw themselves upon the ground between the springs to rest. As they lay 
there on the gently sloping hillside, overlooking the wide, green plains and the 
ocean, one of them asked. "And what shall we call this spot, brother?" 

And the other, turning from one glistening pool to the other, answered: 
"We will call it Santa Monica, for the springs resemble the tears of the good 
Santa Monica shed for her erring son." 

The legend of Santa Monica is one of the most beautiful connected with 
the saints. According to tradition the holy woman was born in Africa about 
ZZ2 A. D. She was brought up so strictly that she was not allowed even a 



124 HISTORY OF SANTA lAIONICA BAY CITIES 

drink of water between meals and was early married to Patricius, a gentleman 
of hot and hasty temper. She had two sons and one of them Augustine, to the 
great grief of his mother, would not yield to her teachings and be baptized into 
the church. Instead, he was carried away by heresy and entered upon an 
immoral life. The mother spent much of her time in praying for and weeping 
over the wayward son. For many years she sorrowed and once, in her despair, 
she went to a good bishop and related her woes. " Wait," the bishop told her, 
" and keep on praying. The child of so many tears cannot perish." 

At last the son fell ill and came near death. He recovered, however, in 
answer to his mother's prayers and this so softened his heart that at last he 
saw the error of his ways and became a devout believer, finally becoming the 
great Saint Augustine. 

Whether we accept this legend or not, the bay and the region were certainly 
named for the good Santa Monica, whose da}' in the calendar was May 4th. 
The name does not seem to appear upon record until the petition for the grant 
known as San Vincente y Santa Monica was made by Don Francisco Sepulveda 
and Augustin Machado in 1827. The springs mentioned in the legend, later 
known as San Yincente springs were included in this grant. 

Settlement. 

What is commonly known as the Santa Monica Bay region includes por- 
tions of four land grants, Malibu — extending twenty-two miles along the coast 
to the north ; Boca de Santa Monica, including the mouth of Santa Monica 
Canyon ; San Y^icente y Santa Monica, which had an ocean frontage of a mile 
and a half and extended back four miles from the coast, covering an area of 
about 40,000 acres ; and La Ballona rancho, with an ocean frontage of four 
miles. 

For nearly three (juarters of a century after the first settlement was made 
on the Malibu tract in 1804, or possibly earlier, this entire region was given 
over to grazing herds of cattle and sheep and to grain raising, on a small scale. 
The haciendas of the grant owners were each a little community in itself and 
the simple, pastoral life of the Spanish occupation lingered, to an unusual degree 
until the final breaking up of these ranchos, during the past twenty-five years. 

But life in those slow-moving days, while not as strenuous as in our day 
of perpetual rush and change, had its occupations, its interests and its amuse- 
ments. Most of these rancheros were also residents of Los Angeles and took 
an active ]xirt in municipal and territorial afifairs. At their country homes they 
were surrounded by a large retinue of relations, retainers and servants, the 
latter mostly Indians. All of these were vmder the protection and command 
of the head of the house and all were fed, clothed, and provided for. The 
number of ])eople about his ])lace was a matter of pride with the ranchero. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 125 

And the days on one of these large stock ranges were not all "siesta" by 
any means. Herds and flocks must be guarded from thieves and the ravages 
of wild beasts ; they must be shifted from plain to valley, from coast to moun- 
tain-side, as the season demanded. There were rodeos, the annual rounding-up 
of stock, to attend and sometimes a large cattle owner must be present at several 
of these affairs in order to secure all of his stock. The matanza, or slaughter- 
ing, was a busy season requiring careful selection of animals and good judg- 
ment in bargaining with the traders of the hide droghers ; sheep-shearing was 
another period of arduous labor ; the tanning of hides, the rendering of tallow 
and the harvesting of grain all demand due attention. There were dry seasons 
when losses were heavy, and cold, wet years which were disastrous to cattle and 
especially sheep. 

The greater part of the necessary supplies were raised upon the rancho, 
but yearly the hides and tallow were traded with the sailing vessels that put 
into San Pedro, for such supplies and luxuries as were brought from the Orient, 
or from Boston. Certainly the life of those years was not without its interests. 
The unstability of political affairs the constaint bickering and jealously of 
Monterey and Santa Barbara on the one hand, and Los Angeles and San Diego, 
on the other ; the frequently changing and very uncertain orders and officials 
sent from Mexico, all of these afforded pretty steady excitement in Los Angeles. 
And Los Angeles seems never to have been a really dull place — even in its 
sleepiest days. There w^as generally something doing — if it was only a murder 
before breakfast. For amusements there were balls and weddings, horse races 
and bull fights and the various fiestas of the church. 

The ranchos near the coast were not as exposed to depredations from the 
dreaded "desert" Indians as were the more interior locations, but there are still 
traditions of lively scraps with loands of thieving Indians on the Malibu and the 
San Vicente, and there is at least one " encino del Indias " located on the 
palisades where an Indian horse thief was hanged without legal preliminaries. 

Tor.VNGA M.\UBU. 

The first land grant in this vicinity was that known as Toi:)anga Malibu 
made in 1805 to Don Jose Bartoleiueo Tapia. A deed executed in 1845 ^^'^^^ 
recorded in the county records states that July 12. 1805. the "Governor ol Loreto," 
then Governor of California decreed that certain " pasajes " which are called 
Malibu, Topango, Sottome, Simi and Sequit, be granted to Jose Bartolemeo 
Tapia. This deed further states that April 18, 1824, the property passed into 
hands of Sefior Tapia's heirs, Tomaso, Fernando, Juan Antonio and Tiburcio 
Tapia. The property is described as bounded on the north by the " Sierra Mayor, 
on the south. El Mar Oceano Pacifico ; the east by Rancho Santa Monica and 
the west by el Rio de San Buena Ventura." In 1848 it passed into the pos- 



126 



HISTURV UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



session of Maria Villeboso and Victor Leon Prudhomnie for " cuatro cientos 
pesos " — four hundred dollars. 

The Malibu grant, with its almost impassable mountain ranges, extending 
into the very ocean, its inacessible canyons, its hidden mesas and wiiaernesses, 
has always been a land of mystery and many romantic stories of smuggling, of 
buried treasure, of robbery and murder have been connected with it. 

The first grantee, Jose B. Tapia, must have stocked the place, as he willed 
it with its "ganado" or cattle, to his heirs. His son Tiburcio occupied the place, 
probably during the twenties and thirties and it is said buried a couple of chests 
of his abounding coin somewhere on the ranch. Tiburcio Tapia was one of the 

most interesting char- 
acters of earlier Los 
Angeles history. 
Born in San Luis 
Obispo, w here his 
father was then act- 
ing as Alcalde, in 
1789, he became a 
soldier. In 1824, he 
was a corporal of the 
guard at Purisima at 
the time of an In- 
dian uprising which 
threatened the mas- 
sacre of the entire 
Spanish population. 
With four or five men, Tapia defended the families and the padres during the 
night and only surrendered when the powder gave out. It is said that the rebels 
offered to spare Tapia, if he would give up his arms, but he declined the pro- 
position. 

Soon after this he must have removed to Los Angeles, where he was one 
of the earliest merchants. Alfred Robinson says of him, "We stopped at the 
house of Don Tiburcio Tapia, the Alcalde Constitutional (Constitutional Judge) 
of the city, who was once a common soldier but who, by honest and industrious 
labor has amassed so much of this world's goods as to make him one of the 
wealthiest inhabitants of the place. His strict integrity gave him credit to any 
amount with the trading vessels, so that he was the principal merchant and the 
only native one in "el Pueblo de Los Angeles." 

Don Tiburcio filled many positions of trust. In 1827, which must have 
been soon after his location in Los Angeles, he was chosen with Juan Bandini, 
Romualdo Pacheco and four other prominent citizens to act as vocale or member 
to represent the southern district in the territorial diputacion which convened 




TOPANGA. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 127 

at Monterey, the legislative body of that time. Don Tiburcio was made a mem- 
ber of the committee on police regulations, which must have been one of the 
most important subjects under consideration in those days. His record makes 
it appear that Sehor Tapia was something of a politician, or so it would seem 
now-a-days ; but we are assured that in the early days of Los Angeles the office 
had to seek the man and sometimes went begging for an occupant, so we must 
put Senor Tapia down as one of the most self-sacrificing and public spirited 
citizens Los Angeles ever had. He was re-elected vocale twice. In 183 1 he 
was alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles; in 1833 he was "sindico," recorder; in 
1835 "encargado de Indians" ; 1836, alcalde — second alcalde — it took two mayors 
to keep things moving; In 1839 ^^^ ^^^^ alcalde again and was also confirmed in 
the grant of the Cucamonga Rancho by governor Alvarado. In 1840 he was 
one of the five substitute judges elected by the junta, or superior court. In 
1844 he again served the city as alcalde. 

He must have been a busy man, as the leading merchant of the town and 
as one of the owners of the Topanga Malibu and, at the same time he was 
making extensive improvements on the Cucamonga Rancho, where he built a 
residence. It is said that as rumors of American designs upon California be- 
came rife, Don Tiburcio became alarmed for his store of coin, which was un- 
usually large for that period. He is said to have carried much of it to Cucamongo 
and buried it, and there are also stories of other chests of it hidden on the 
Malibu. Whatever treasures of silver and gold he may have stowed away, did 
him no good, for he died suddenly in 1845 ^^^^^ it seems to have been lost to 
his family. He left one daughter, Maria Merced, who later marriea Leon 
V. Prudhomme, one of the early French settlers of Los Angeles, and who is 
still living in that city. 

An interesting tale of an early smuggling episode is also related to Malibu 
history. According to Bancroft, in 1819, a couple of American vessels, strongly 
suspected of smuggling intentions, were cruising along the coast of Southern 
California. One of these ships was signalled off the coast of the Malibu and 
induced to make a landing. Two men, Antonio Briones, who is stated to have 
been a claimant for the Malibu grant at one time, and Maximo Alanis, who 
was later the grantee of the Buenos Ayres Rancho, induced the smugglers to 
land their goods, then seized the sailors and declared that they would turn them 
over to the authorities unless a ransom of $1000 was paid to them. As their 
captors had conclusive evidence, the cai)tain was about to pay over his thousand 
dollars, when one of the guard " celebrated "' too soon and in his happv oblivion 
allowed the prisoners to escape. The booty, however, remained in the hands 
of Briones and Alanis, who decided to sa}- nothing to the authorities about the 
little matter and keep the goods to recoup themselves for the ransom money 
they had lost. But the officials of that day seem to have had their eyes open 



128 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

and in some way discovered the mysterious doings on the Alalibu coast. 
Briones and Alanis were arrested, the goods confiscated and these brilliant 
" promoters " of 1819 were imprisoned for six months in chains. It is to be 
hoped that somebody finally paid the duty on the consignment. 

In later years the Malibu was the favorite rendezvous of an extensive band 
of horse and cattle thieves. The early records of Los Angeles county contain 
many accounts of exciting chases and arrests made in the fastnesses of the 
Malibu, or Malaga, region. Don Tiburcio Tapia seems to have been a 
remarkable exception in his family, for the name Tapia appears almost as 

frequently in the criminal records as did Don Tibur- 
cio's in the political records of an earlier day. 

In the early sixties, the Malibu grant passed 
through tax sale into the hands of Mathew Keller, 
better known in those days as " Don Mateo." Mr. 
Keller was born in Ireland and came to America at 
an early date. After living in Mexico for a time, 
he came to California and located in Los Angeles 
about 1850, becoming one of its best known and 
most prominent citizens. He was one of the first to 
engage in wine-making and to plant out an exten- 
sive vineyard, for which he imported stock from 
France. He devoted a great deal of attention 
to the cultivation of the grape and was also in- 

DON MATEO KELLER. ^ 1 

terested in the early experiments in raising cot- 
ton. At one time he had a complete ginning outfit set up in Los Angeles 
and offered its use to any one who would raise cotton. He made a thor- 
ough study of the process of making wine of different varieties and manu- 
factured it in large quantities. He established houses in Los Angeles and 
San Francisco and was instrumental in introducing California wines in the 
east' on a large scale, having extensive connections in New York for the hand- 
ling of his own manufacture. 

He put up a large ranch house on the Malibu and made improvements 
there and when he died in 1881 he left the grant to his son, Henry W. Keller, 
formerlv of Santa Monica, who sold it in 1891 to the late Frederick H. Rindge. 

Frederick Hastings Rindge was born in Cambridge, Mass., December 
2 1 St, 1857. He was a descendant of the Puritan stock which has furnished 
so large a portion of the best blood and ablest brains of our country. 
Among his ancestors were Daniel Rindge, who commanded the Ipswich troops 
in the campaign which destroyed King Philip, of the Naragansett ; Samuel 
Baker, one of the minute men who marched to the relief of Lexingtotn in 1775, 
and Daniel Harrington, a resident of Lexington who served through the Revolu- 





FREDERICK P4AST1NGS RJNDGE 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 129 

tionary war with distinction, retiring with the rank of captain. His father, 
Samnel Baker Rindge was a merchant of very large estate, which he used most 
wisely. His mother, Clarissa Harrington, was a woman of fine character. 

Frederick Rindge was the only surviving chikl of his parents and was left 
in a weakened state by an attack of scarlet fever in his childhood. His education 
was conducted with especial care and while still a youth he traveled extensively, 
visiting California in 1870 and during 187 1-2 visiting many places of interes't 
in Europe. He completed his preparation for college under Dr. James Laurence 
Laughlin and entered Harvard in 1875. Owing to illness, he was forced to 
leave college in his last year ; but several years later he was given his degree. 
Soon after leaving college he succeeded to his father's estate, and at once entered 
upon an active business career which proved him to possess unusal cjualities of 
good judgment and executive ability ; although his character and tastes were 
strongly inclined to a studious life. 

He visited California again in 1880, in search of health, and returned to 
New England with renewed strength. For a number of years he devoted him- 
self to the management of his large commercial interests in Massachusetts. As 
a testimonial of his love for his birthplace, he erected and presented to the city 
of Cambridge a city hall and, later, built for the city a beautiful public library 
building. He established there, and for ten years maintained, the Rindge 
Manual Training School for boys — the first manual trainmg school in the 
state. 

On May 27, 1887, he was married to Miss Rhoda May Knight, of Trenton, 
Michigan, daughter of James and Rhoda Lathrop Knight. They were the par- 
ents of three children, Samuel Knight, Frederick Hastings and Rhoda Agatha. 

In 1887, he came to California to make his permanent home. He soon 
settled upon Southern California as his place of residence. In January, 1891, 
he purchased property on Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica and at once built a 
handsome residence. This home was occupied by the family, in conjunction 
with the ranch house on the Topanga Malibu until they removed to Los 
Angeles in 1903. 

In 1891 Mr. Rindge purchased the property commonly known as the Malibu 
ranch, a Spanish land grant originally made to Jose B. Tapia in 1804, and later 
belonging to Don Mateo Keller. The original property extended along the 
coast northwesterly from Las Flores canyon for twenty miles. To this j\Ir. 
Rindge added other tracts until he owned a strip of land extending along the 
sea coast for twenty-four miles. Beautiful "pasages" or valleys ; fertile mesas, 
stretches of magnificent beach, lofty peaks and ridges, gave a wonderful variety 
of scenery and climate to this rancho. Mysterious caves, almost inaceesible can- 
yons, groves of ancient oak and sycamore lent romance and charm. It is not 
strange that ^Ir. Rindge, with his poetical tendenc) of thought and spiritual 
9 



130 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

trend of mind, found here his ideal home and loved this historical rancho — not 
as property — but as a divine inheritance. He built here a home that was per- 
fect in its adaptation to the environment and he spent here some of his happiest 
hours. His book, "Happy Days in Southern California" is largely a tribute 
to his life upon the Malibu, although it deals with other aspects of California 
life also. 

But while he sought rest and inspiration in the seclusion of his ranch 
home, Mr. Rindge never shut himself out from active participation in business 
and public affairs. During the years of his residence in this state, from 1888 
to 1905, probably no other man was ever connected with so many and such 
large and varied interests. His investments were made not only with a view 
to the increase of his own wealth but, very largely, for the purpose of develop- 
ing the resources of this country and thus giving opportunity to men of lesser 
means. For this reason he was a moving factor in a large number of companies 
organized to develop water and reclaim land, and in various other enterprises. 
Among the most important of these was the Conservative Life Insurance Com- 
pany, of which he was president. Mr. Rindge, believing that a man should 
make his gifts while living, was a man of large yet unostentatious benevolences. 
He gave liberally to the Methodist church of which he was long a consistent 
member, being of a deeply religious nature. He aided many institutions, both 
in California and in New England, and lent a helping hand to many individuals. 
He was discriminating in his charities — as a man of such great wealth must be 
— if he is to be a power for good rather than for evil. 

While living in Santa Monica, Mr. Rindge closely associated himself with 
the life of the community. In 1895 he offered to erect and donate a church 
building to the Methodist society, provided the church would support a pastor 
and pay all incidental expenses. In consequence, a neat and commodious church, 
still in use, was built at a cost of $15,000 and dedicated before the end of the 
year. He took an active personal interest in the campaign which was made 
by the advocates of temperance and by the better class of business men to rid 
the town of saloons, speaking at the meetings and offering to indemnify the 
city treasury for the loss of revenue derived from the saloon licenses. Accord- 
ingly, after the "anti-saloon" party carried the election, he presented his check 
for $2,500 to Mr. Robert F. Jones, then mayor of Santa Monica. He served 
for several years upon the school board of the town, was president of the Good 
Government League, and was a member of various local organizations. 

In 1903 the ranch house on the Malibu, with all its furnishings, including 
a part of Mr. Rindge's fine library, was destroyed by fire. About this time 
the family removed to Los Angeles where I\Ir. Rindge had erected a handsome 
house on Harvard Boulevard, in a section of the city he had helped to develop. 
On locating in Los Angeles, he identified himself with the Westlake M. E. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 131 

church, to which he contributed hberall)-. He was also deeply interested in the 
Young lAlen's Christian Association, being an active member and aidin- laroely 
m lifting the debt which for many years hung over the Los Angeles association 
He was one of the originators of the Ocean Park Y. AI. C. A. Company which 
started the town of Ocean Park. 

As a relaxation from his many cares, Mr. Rindge gave much attention to 
scientific research and the study of the early history of America and of California 
He was a member of the New England Historical and Geneaological Society 
and of the Archaeological Institute of America. His collection of coins and 
of aboriginal arts was of such value that he was induced to place them 
in the loan exhibit of the Peabody Museum, at Harvard College, and also in 
the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He gathered a large amount of material 
bearing on Pacific coast archaeology and his collection of memorials of California 
history was unequalled among private collections. 

In acknowledgement of the honor conferred upon him through his fore- 
bears, he became a member of the Society of Colonial Wars and also of the Sons 
of the Revolution. He was president of the Harvard Club of Los Angeles 
irom the time of its formation until his death. 

The death of Air. Rindge, which occurred August 29th, 1905, was in one 
sense, untimely. He was a comparatively young man and was in the midst of 
an active and useful life. Yet his existence had been a long struggle with 
weakness and his spirit was full-grown. Death may come at any tin^e to such 
a man and we cannot say that it is premature. To his family, to his friends-all 
over the United States, to the public generally, his departure meant a great 
loss and a great grief. But to himself it was onlv a passing on to a 
higher life. 

as a^VTr ''r" f^ "' '" "'"'"■ "^^ ' ^"-^"^^^^ ^"^"' ^^ ^ ^^-^'-^h leader, 
as a Y. M C. A. president, as a consistent worker for the development of 

can tale his place He was a rich man; but he employed his wealth for the 
greatest good of the greatest number-not in selfish pleasure nor for personal ' 

c^gSrandizement. He was a man of strong religious convictions: but the ^race 

of humility and a broad understanding prevented his religion fron. degeii^rat- 

n.^ mto religiosity. A staunch, steadfast, unassuming man. with alf of his 

llions those who dififered from him in opinion could admire his fidelity to 

Ills Ideals; and those not blessed with n.oney could be glad that such a for'tune 

was entrusted to worthy hands." 

as executTlrnf'^r""-' *'•'""" "'" ''"''""''' °' ^" ''"''»"d. ^<"- Rindge. 
enterprises wl„cli her lu,sban<l had undertaken. 



132 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



San Vicentk Y Santa Monica. 



It is probable tliat tbe ricb grazing lands in tbe vicinity of Santa Monica 
were utilized early after the establishment of " el Pueblo de Los Angeles," for 
the herds of the settlers and of the missions multiplied with amazing rapidity 
and by 1800 the grazing land in the immediate vicinity of Los Angeles and 
San Gabriel was overstocked. After the granting of the ]Malibu, however, we 
have no record of settlement in this neighborhood until 1827 when Francisco 
Sepulveda and Augustin Machado, settlers of Los Angeles, petitioned for a 
tract of land. According to the testimony of Jose Antonio Carrillo, who was 

alcalde in 1828, he received an order from "the 
Hon. Jose Maria Echandia, a Political Chief, issued 
by virtue of a petition of several citizens, recjuesting 
to be placed in provisional possession of the com- 
nion lands of the city held by them." 

Amongst these, he gave possession to Francisco 
Sepulveda of the lands known as San Vicente, with 
a piece of pasture (potrero) named Santa Monica. 
"The order of Gov. Echandia only had reference 
to parties wdio owned one hundred and fifty head 
of cattle, and as Sepulveda came within this con- 
dition it was especially commanded to give him 
this land, with the adjoining potrero of Santa 
Monica." But the boundaries of the lands thus 
given possession of were not defined and there 
was soon dispute as to the territory included. 
December 20th, 1839, a title was issued to the rancho called San Vicenie 
and Santa Monica, in favor of Don Francisco Sepulveda, "'with the con- 
dition of abiding whatever actions should be had thereon, in case such land 
may be comprised within the limits of the City of Los Angeles." This grant 
was made by Governor Alvarado ; but it still did not settle the question of 
boundary which was disputed on all sides. In 1840 Sepulveda petitioned the 
governor to place him in " pacific possession of the property, as Francisco 
Marquez and Ysidro Reyes have given a bad example of disobedience and that 
under the strength of discordant documents they remain in possession of the 
place called Santa Monica." In 1846 Governor Pico confirmed Sepulveda's 
grant, but as Marquez and Reyes also had a grant to the " potrero " of Santa 
Monica, the dispute over the boundaries continued and was not settled until the 
question came into the I'nited States courts and after long litigation was decided. 
The San \'icente y Santa Monica grant was finally confirmed July 23rd, 1881, to 
include 30,259 acres instead of fhe 58,409 acres originally claimed. 




JOSE DOLORES SEPULVEDA. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



133 



Aside from the question of boundaries, there has been much Htigation over 
the possession of the San Vicente lands. C)n the death of Don Francisco, the 
property was left to his wife and children, and several lawsuits were necessary 
in the family before the lands were satisfactorily divided. 

Don Francisco Sepulveda, the original grantee, with two brothers, were 
among the earliest settlers of California. He was first a soldier in San Diego, 
but in 1815 was a citizen of Los Angeles, cultivating pueblo lands. The 
Sepulveda family has played an important part in the history of Southern 
California and is connected with many of the best families of today. Don 
Francisco had a large family. One of his sons, Don Jose, was grantee of the 
San Joaquin rancho and took a leading part in early local and political affairs. 

He was the father of 




• -Til—- . !^ #*''^*?*A -* 



SAN VICENTE RANCH HOUiSE. 



Judge Ygnacio Sepulveda 
and i\Irs. Thomas Mott. 
Don Francisco built a 
ranch house near the Saa 
Vicente springs in 1837. 
Here he set out vineyards 
and orchards and at least 
three of his sons resided 
with him or built houses 
near by. These were Juan 
Alaria, Carmel and Do- 
lores. Traces of these 
buildings can still be 
seen, although the original ranch houses have all disappeared. The last 
home of Dolores Sepulveda, built in 1863, an adobe house well preserved 
and very typical of the ranch house of early days, still stands. At one end 
is a very old walnut tree and back of it stand the twin sycamores which have 
long been a landmark. 

Don Francisco also had a home in Los Angeles and was frequentlv con- 
cerned in municipal affairs. In 1824 he was " regidor " or recorder, of the 
pueblo : later he was alcalde and on the secularization of the missions, he was 
made administrator of San Juan Capistrano. In 1831 he was one of the 
victims of Governor Victoria's arbitrary orders and with Tomas Talmantes, 
Jose Maria Avila, Maximo Alanis, Demisio Dominguez and Jose Aguilar, 
was imprisoned for supposed implication in the removal of the presiding 
alcalde, Vicente Sanchez, whom the citizens of Los Angeles had removed from 
office, because of alleged incompetence to hold the position, and whom they 
refused to restore to the alcaldeship when Victoria so ordered. 

The vSepulvcda family were given to horse racing, as appears from various 




G. WILEY WELLS. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 135 

records. There seems to have been bitter rivalry between the Sepulvedas 
and the Picos, in the matter of horses. In 1840, according to Bancroft, a 
horse race took place between animals owned by Andreas Pico and Fernando 
Sepulveda, a minor. The result led to a dispute and a suit against Sepulveda 
for the stakes. The father was finally forced to pay the stake by Alcalde 
Lugo. The matter was appealed to the governor, who on the advice of the 
judges of the first district, decided that Lugo must pay back the stakes and be 
suspended from office until he should do so. Lugo refused to be suspended, 
or to pay the stakes, except after legal proceedings by the junta. He claimed 
that the governor and the Monterey judge had acted as partisans, and that 
they had made many blunders and that the afifair was none of their business, any- 
how, but belonged to the superior tribunal, and if there was no such body, it 
was their own fault. He said that Francisco Sepulveda was present at the race 
and had in other races paid his son's losses without objection. The final 
decisions of this interesting case does not appear on record ; but it is evident 
that the afifair led to a long and bitter trial of horse-flesh between the Picos 
and Sepulvedas. 

In 1852, a race took place which has become historical. The Picos owned 
a gelding which had beaten every other animal put up against it. Jose 
Sepulveda, after repeated losses, was eager to seize any chance to " down " 
Pico's horse. \Miile on a trip to San Diego, he saw a mare which attracted 
his attention. It proved to be an English thoroughbred, just brought over from 
Australia. He at once negotiated for the animal, it is said, offering to pay 
the owners ten thousand dollars for her. He returned north and made the 
arrangement for a race of three leagues, at San Pedro, to be run to a stake and 
back again. Excitement ran high and on the day of the race the entire 
population of the country, with visitors from Santa Barbara and even Monterey, 
and all San Diego, were present. The horse was to be ridden California style, 
the rider strapped to his bare back and the owners and backers permitted to 
ride beside him and use the whip. The mare was equipped in the American 
style, with light racing saddle and a little jockey. 

Betting ran high. It was the custom among Californians to hand over 
the sum of money bet to the taker. After the race, the holder kept the money, 
if he won, or returned it double, if he lost. No papers or guarantees were 
necessary, for a California's word was as good, or better, than a bond. On 
this occasion the Californians all bet heavily on Pico's horse, while the Amer- 
icans backed Don Jose's Black Swan. The Swan, after a terrific struggle, 
won, and it is said Sepulveda won nearly fifty thousand dollars. After the 
race was over, he took the bridle from the mare and declared that she should 
never again wear bridle or saddle, and he kept his word. She passed the rest 



136 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



of her life free upon the plains. He had won from the Pico's — that was triumph 
enough. 

Another instance of the horsemanship of the family is related by Major 
Horace Bell in his " Reminiscences of a Ranger." He describes a rodeo held in 
May, 1853, at San Joaquin rancho, the home of Don Jose Sepulveda. On the 
third night of the affair at midnight Don Jose and his brother Don Fernando 
were still talking gaily with their guests. A little later a messenger arrived 
with the news that their aged father, Don Francisco Sepulveda, was about to 
pass away. The brothers at once mounted. Major Bell and another American 
decided to accompany them, although warned that they could not keep up. As 
Don Jose was then sixty years of age, they felt confident that they would be able 
to hold their own; but before the party reached Fos Nietos, the Sepulvedas had 
disappeared in a cloud of dust and the Americans drew rein, having ridden 
forty-three miles in three hours. 

Boca de; Santa Monica. 

One of the earliest settlers in the pueblo de Los Angeles was Francisco 
Reyes, who came with a party in 1785. Very soon thereafter he must have 

taken possession of 
lands in the vicinity 
of San Fernando, 
for in 1797 the 
Rancho Encino 
held by him was 
taktn from him and 
both land and build- 
ings appropriated to 
the San Fernando 
Mission. His son, 
Ysidro, was born in 
Los Angeles and in 
1828 he, with Fran- 
cisco Marquez was 
given a provisional 

grant to lands already occupied by them for grazing purposes in the Santa 
]\Tonica Canyon. This grant was known as the " Boca de Santa Monica " 
(the mouth of Santa Monica). The land included in it w^as later claimed 
to be a part of Santa Monica potrero granted to Francisco Sepulveda. In 
1839, Governor Alvarado investigated the conflicting claims and regranted 
each tract to the original holders. Still the question of the boundary was 
disputed and was not finally disposed of until about 1880, when the United 




FIRST HOUSE IN SANTA MONICA. BUILT BY FRANCISCO MARQUEZ. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 137 

States courts fixed the limits of the Boca de Santa Alonica and July 21st, 1882 
a patent for 6,656 acres of land was confirmed to Marquez and Reves. 

Ygnacio Reyes built a ranch house in Rustic Canyon and the family have 
continuously occupied the land since 1824, part of the grant still being owned 
by the descendants of the original grantees. This is an unusual case for 
generall,y the great land grants of the state have passed entirely out of the 
hands of the Californians, and the families of the original claimants have 
profited nothing by the marvelous increase in values. 

Ygnacio Reyes also owned a home in Los Angeles, on Main street, near 
Fourth, and is frequently mentioned in the annals of the town. He died there 
during an epidemic of smallpox in 1863. Three sons still survive him, 
Guadalupe of Sawtelle ; Ysidro and Antonio of Los Angeles. 

Francisco Marquez built his ranch house on the edge of the bluff, about 
at the end of Seventh street. Here it was a landmark for many years, having 
been destroyed within the past few years. Members of the family still live 
in Santa Monica Canyon and retain a part of the original lands. 

La Ballona. 

La Ballona rancho, or as it was named in the original document 'Xa 
Ballena" (the whale), was formally granted to a compan^• composed of 
Augustin and Ygnacio Machado, Felipe and Tomas Talamantes. all citizens of 
Los Angeles, by Governor Alvarado in 1839. There is evidence to show that 
prior to this grant, a tract of land nearer to Los Angeles had been occupied by 
the same citizens as a stock range but had been taken from them, either because 
It was too near the city, or was needed for the stock of San Gabriel. 

At any rate they received a princely domain in the fertile fields and rich 
pastures of " La Ballena," and at once stocked it and built residences upon it 
The haciendas of the Machados on this ranch were among the best examples 
of the California home. They are still standing-that of Augustin Machado, 
a large and most substantial adobe, the walls and roof of which is still intact,' 
IS unoccupied at present and is used as a store house. It seems a pitv that this! 
one of the best specimens of the early California homes should not be' preserved.' 
The home of Ygnacio Machado, a little distance away, is now occupied by one 
of his sons, Antonio, and the part which remains is in good repair and is a 
fine sample of the simplicity and solidity of the genuine adobe house of thc 
better class. This house once contained fourteen rooms built about a court, 
but a portion of these have now been removed. 

The Machado brothers were prominent among earlv residents of Los 

Angeles. They owned a tract of two acres of land in the vicinity of Second 

and Mam streets, where each of them had homes. Augustin Machado served 

el pueblo de Los Angeles " as alcalde, and was frequentlv concerned in public 



138 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

affairs. He married Ramona, a daughter of Don Francisco Sepulveda, of the 
San X'icente, and their home both in Los Angeles and at La Ballona, was a 
center of social gaity. Of this marriage there are still living Bernardino, 
Andreas and Jose de Luz, all of whom reside on Ballona lands. One son. 
Dolores, died in 1906, leaving a family which resides in Ocean Park; two 
daughters, Mrs. Juan Barnard and Ascencion, have recently died. Don 
Augustin died in Los Angeles in 1865. 

Bancroft tells this story of Don Augustin : " The merchant, Don Jose 
Antonio Aguirre, owner of the Ship Joven Guipuzcoana, once had a new 
supercargo, who was a stranger to and ignorant of affairs in California. 
While the ship lay at San Pedro, Aguirre being absent, Augustin Machado, a 
well-to-do ranchero, and a man of sterling character, but who could neither 
read nor write, went on board to make purchases, his carretas being at the 
landing. After selecting his goods, as he was about to place them in a launch 
to be carried on shore, the sunpercargo asked him for payment, or some 
guaranty or note of hand. Machado stared at him in great astonishment ; at 
first he could not comprehend what the man meant. Such a demand had never 
been made from him before, nor, in fact, from any other ranchero. After a 
while the idea struck him that he was distrusted. Plucking one hair from his 
beard, he seriously handed it to the supercargo, saying, ' Here, deliver this to 
Senor Aguirre and tell it is a hair from the beard of Augustin Machado. It 
will cover your responsibility — it is suflficient guaranty.' The young man, 
much abashed, took the hair and placed it carefully in his books and Machado 
carried away the goods. Aguirre was chagrined on hearing the story, for 
Mach^do's word was as good as the best bond. Jose M. Kstudillo relates this 
incident and also the following: In 1850 Aguirre sent Estudillo to Los 
Angeles to collect old bills, many of which were outlawed ; but the greater part 
of which were finally paid. He visited Machado's rancho at La Ballona, to 
collect a balance of abort $4000 and happened to arrive when the house was 
full of company. Lie was cordially received as a guest and when apprised of 
the object of his visit, Machado said that he had been for some time thinking 
that he was indebted to Aguirre, and promised to meet Estudillo in Los 
Angeles in two days. At the time appointed Machado was there and delivered 
the whole sum at the door of Manuel Requena's house, refusing to take a 
receipt, saying that Aguirre was not in the habit of collecting the same 
bill twice." 

Ygnacio Machado married Estefania Palomares, daughter of a well-known 
Spanish familv of Los Angeles countv. Three of their sons still survive. 
Antonio, living in the old house ; Andres, who lives at Hollywood, and Cristo- 
bal, now in Texas. Don Ygnacio is described as a man of stern, yet generous 
mold. It was his habit to rise verv earlv and waken his household to ioin him 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 139 

in the morning song, with which it was the custom for all good Spanish 
families to begin the day. Of Ygnacio Machado, J. J. Warner wrote in 1876: 
"Don Ygnacio survives the others (of his company) — those faithful friends of 
his earlier davs, at the age of eighty-two, he grasps the hand as warmly as 
ever, rides on horseback, as usual ; patriarch to whom the community bears 
respect almost filial." The Machado brothers were widely known and deeply 
respected as honorable and just men, generous and ever kind. The present 
head of this branch of the family, Antonio Machado, son of Ygnacio, is a 
worthv successor of his father. Simple, unassuming, courtly, of good judg- 
ment and kindl}' heart, he looks back to the old days and the care-free life of 
the past with wistful eyes. 

The Ballona grant of 13,919 acres was confirmed to the Machados Decem- 
ber 8th. 1873. It ^'^'^s ^t once divided among the members of the family and 
tracts of it were sold. It comprised nearly two thousand acres of first-class 
irrigable land, two thousand acres of damp lands which needed no irrigation, and 
the rest was pasture land. In early days it was chiefly occupied as a stock 
ran^re. although some grain was raised and orchards of various fruits were 
planted about the haciendas. The district was occupied by a number of families 
in the fifties and sixties and was one of the first townships set aside, originally 
including San Vicente, Boca de Santa Monica, Malibu and a large territory. 
It was organized into a school district during the sixties and was a factor in 
the elections of early days. During the seventies Francisco ^Machado, a son of 
Augustin, was one of the county supervisors and political " boss " of the dis- 
trict. Although many prosperous American farmers are now residents of Bal- 
lona lands and the towns of Palms. Ocean Park and Venice are located on lands 
originally belonging to the rancho. the Machados still retain a part of the original 
grant and a considerable number of native Californians are found in the vicinity. 

Antonio Machado married Manrela \'aluenza and has a number of children, 
most of whom are still living at home. Andreas, a son of Augustiu, lives on 
the old Augustin Machado place and has recently built a very comfortable home. 
Jose la Luz also lives in the neighborhood in a neat cottage. 

In 1861 a military camp was located on La Ballona, near the creek about 
three-quarters of a mile from the present town of Palms. This was made the 
headquarters of the First California A'olunteer Infantry. Gen. J. H. Carleton. 
commanding officer. The camp was established in September, being occupied 
by Company A, under Col. Latham, for whom the station was named Camp 
Latham. Several companies were encamped here and at one time there were 
probably 1500 men present. They were sent from here to Arizona to protect 
the mail service and the camp was not occupied after 1862. A couple of soldiers 
were buried here and in 1895 their neglected graves were remembered by the 
veterans of Santa Monica, who made a special trip to decorate them. 




W. D. VAWTER. 



CHAPTER II. 

Laying the; Foundations. 1870-1 

UP TO 1870 the Santa Monica bay region had scarcely felt the stirring of 
the new spirit brought into the country by the American occupation. 
The original ranchos were still intact and occupied chiefly as grazing 
land, and very few Americans had obtained land holdings. Santa Monica Caiion 
was the one attraction of the entire coast at this time. Here a few American 
families each year camped under the sycamores. In 1871 Mr. B. I,. Peel erected 
a large tent " to accommodate 25 or 30 families " and over 300 visitors are 
reported for one Sunday in August, drawn by a dance that " lasted all night." 
\\^ith 1872, Santa ^lonica Cafion suddenly became famous. The Express found 
it of enough importance to publish the following: " Santa Monica, the Long 
Branch of California, or Camp Ha} ward. Seventeen years ago Santa Monica 
was selected as a summer resort bv Dr. Hayward and until the last five years 
he and his family were the only ones who availed themselves of its delights 
and benefits. Santa Monica proper is a farm house located on the ridge one 
and a half miles from where the camp is located. At this lone house the road 
descends into a deep ravine or caiion, at the foot of which, near the confluence 
with the ocean, is a thick growth of old sycamores. Here is the cam]x Bevond 
stretches the Malaga ranch, the rendezvous of horsethieves. The beach between 
the camp and the point afifords a magnificent drive as does the shore in a south- 
erly direction toward " Shoo Fly Landing ", a mile or better distant. It is at 
the latter place that the greater part of the asphaltum sent to San Francisco 
from La Brea rancho is shipped." 

In the summer of 1872 a hotel was opened at the canon and the proprietor 
advertises, " Come and enjoy yourself. A week at the beach will add ten years 
to your life!" ]Mr. John Reynolds announces in July that he will "despatch 
coaches to Santa Monica every Wednesday and Saturday a.m." A small skiff 
was brought around from San Pedro this summer and added to the attractions 
of surf bathing, drives aiid picnics along the beach and up the manv beautiful 
canons and dancing in the " big tent." Among the diversions was the excite- 
ment of prospecting, as it was rumored that a rich ledge of quartz rock existed 
on the beach, at a point only exposed for a few moments at low tide. The 
belief was founded on the fact that some of the native Californians of the dis- 
trict exhibited rich rock which thev claimed to have obtained from this ledge. 



142 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

In September. 1872, an event took place vv^hich marks a new era in the 
history of this vicinity. This was the sale of the San Vicente and Santa Monica 
y San Yicente ranchos by Jose del Carmen Sepnlveda, and others, to Robert 
S. Baker. The first sale included 38,409 acres of land and the price was reported 
as $5-1 ,000. 

Col. Robert S. B.\ker, who thus became an important factor in the history 
of Santa Monica, was a descendant of an old and well-known family of Rhode 
Island. He came to California in TS_|y and engaged in business in San Fran- 
cisco, being a member of the firm of Cooke and Baker, who dealt largely in 
mining su])plies. Later he became associated with General l')eale in the cattle 
and sheep business in the northern part of the state and in the Tejon country. 
With his purchase of the San \'icente, he located in Los Angeles and in 1874 
married Mrs. Arcadia Bandini de Stearns, widow of Don Abel Stearns, one of 
the earliest American settlers of Southern California, and daughter of Juan 
Bandini, one of the wealthiest and most distinguished of the early Californians. 
In 1878, he built the Baker block in Los Angeles, at that time the finest business 
block in the city. He owned, through his wife, the Puente and Laguna ranchos 
and had other large business interests. He was quiet in his tastes and made 
no effort to enter into public life, but devoted his time to the management of 
his large interests. He was most genial in character and he and his beautiful 
wife were noted for their lavish entertainments of gatests, and they at one time 
and another were hosts to many distinguished people. 

Colonel Baker died March nth. 1894. His wife still survives him and 
is now a resident of Santa Monica, ])assing a beautiful old age in a modest cot- 
tage on Ocean avenue, although she is rated as one of the wealthiest women in 
California aiid certainly none of the living daughters of California have had 
a more romantic or interesting historv than Sehora Arcadia de Baker. 

Colonel Baker at once proceeded to perfect his title to all the Sepulveda 
holdings by subsequent purchases, thfis obtainin<j possession of a maetiificent 
tract of land, with a mile and a half of o':can frontage and including the San 
Vicente and numerous other springs, as well as several small mountain streams. 
With characteristic enterprise he began efiforts to utilize his domain for some- 
thing beside a sheep pasture. He interested his friend. General E. F. Beale. 
who was one of the earliest and most successful iironioters known in California 
history — so successful that President Lincoln remarked of him when he was 
surveyor-general of the state in 1861, that " Beale had. indeed, become monarch 
of all he surveyed." The B.rfrcss of December 22nd. 1873, announces, " Gen- 
eral Beale has arrived here with an eastern capitalist who contemplates the 
purchase of the San Vicente ranch with the view to the construction of a wharf 
at Shoo Fly Landing and Iniilding a narrow-gauge road from there to the city." 
This eastern capitalist seems to have fallen down, however, for in 1874 it is 
stated " Col. Baker has connected with himself several wealthy Englishmen 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



143 



and a well-known and distinguished Californian (Beale). They contem])late 
constructing- a road to Los Angeles, a branch of the Southern Transcontinental 
line. Wharves are to be built and Pacific Mail steamships will land here. The 
name of this embryo metropolis of the southern coast is to be Truxton." The 
San Francisco Post of September, 1874, contains a glowing description of the 
" Truxton scheme " which ends by saying: " Why the Los Angeles people ever 
adopted the Wilmington road to shoal water is one of those things no fellow 
can find out. At two-thirds the distance they can reach deep water at the place 
called Truxton, on a bay right north of Wilmington. Here, at a comparatively 




SANTA MONICA BEACH. 18TS. 

light expense, for wharves, they can bring ship and cars together." The jilans 
for Truxton included beside wharf and railway, a magnificent seaside hotel 
and a townsite : but they never seem to have gotten beyond the paper stage. 

During the summer of 1874 Santa Monica Canon continued to be the chief 
summer resort of the Angelenos. Two hotels, the Morongo House and the 
Seaside Hotel, kept by Wolf and Steadman, were filled with guests. Many 
miprovements were made in the camping arrangements and the season was a 
gay one. A new resort, known as " A\^i]l Tell's " also flourished this summer 
on the Ballona lagoon, almost where the Del Rey hotel now stands. This was 
especially attractive to sportsmen, as the lagoon was famous for its duck and 
game birds, and a number of prominent Los Angeles men kept boats on the 
lagoons. 

At this time a road, so narrow that the wheels touched the sides of the 
bank, had been worn down through the arroyo. about at the foot of the present 



144 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Colorado street in Santa Monica, and a small landing was bnilt on the shore. 
Here Major Hancock shipped large quantities of brea, which was hauled by 
ox teams from his Brea rancho, on small coast vessels to San Francisco. This 
was the first " commerce " of Santa ]\Ionica bay. 

In December, 1874, the Los Angeles papers chronicle the first visit of 
United States Senator John P. Jones of Nevada. Glowing tributes were paid 
the distinguished guest and much curiosity and enthusiasm over the possible 
results of his advent into Southern California were indulged in. He was known 
to be falnilously rich and to have railroad ambitions. 

Southern California was a hotbed of railroad schemes. Already the iron 
hand of the Central Pacific monopoly was being felt, although th(! little road 
to San Pedro was then the only railroad in this end of the state. A transcon- 
tinental line south of the Central Pacific was considered absolutely certain, at 
this time ; but who would build it and where it would reach the coast were 
matters of the wildest speculation. San Diego was making frantic efiforts to 
secure railway connection of some sort and was looking hopefully forward to 
the magnificent promises held out by Tom Scott, the brilliant promoter of the 
Atlantic and Pacific railway scheme, of the early seventies. 

The Southern Pacific was building its branch from Los Angeles eastward 
and had decided to leave San Bernardino, the oldest and most important town 
east of Los Angeles, off the line. Naturally she was bitter against the Southern 
Pacific and was casting about for any relief in the way of transportation facili- 
ties. Los Angeles was eagerly watching for any movement in her direction 
which gave promise of a competing line, although the Southern Pacific was 
not yet fairly built and there was no railroad connection with San Francisco, 
or with the east. Consequently, when in January, 1875, it was announced that 
Senator Jones had purchased a two-thirds interest in the San Vicente rancho, 
paying therefore about $150,000, and that a new railroad was assured, there 
was rejoicing long and loud throughout Southern California. 

The Los Angeles and Indei)endence railroad was organized in January, 
1875, with F. P. F. Temple, a banker of Los Angeles, John P. Jones, Robert 
S. Baker, T. N. Park, James A. Pritchard, J. S. Slauson of Los Angeles, and 
Col. J. U. Crawford, as directors. 

Right of wav between Los Angeles and Santa Monica was secured at once 
and without difficulty, it may be added, and Col. Crawford, the engineer and 
general manager of the road, at once began active operations. It was announced 
that the road would be pushed through to Independence, where were located the 
Panamint mines, owned by Senator Jones, and then supposed to rival the Gold 
Hill district in richness. There were rumors also that the line would be carried 
across Nevada to Salt Lake and the papers frequentlv referred to it as the 
beginning and ocean terminus of a transcontinental line. 

As soon as the railroad work was fairlv started the construction of a wharf 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 145 

was begun. This was located near the old '• Shoo Flv "• landing and near the 
present foot of Colorado street, where a stub of the old wharf still remains 
The first pile was driven April 22nd, 1875, and the first boat landed at the wharf 
in June. This wharf was 1700 feet in length and reached a depth of thirty 
feet at low tide. It was substantially built, with depot, and warehouses at 
its terminus and cost about $45,000. 

In the meantime. Messrs. Jones and Baker had laid out a townsite which 
extended from the blufl:: back to Twenty-sixth street and from Montana avenue 
on the north to the arroyo. or Railroad street, as it was then called on the 
south This original plat of Santa Monica was planned on a generous scale 
The blocks were 320 by 600 feet; lots 150 by 50, with twentv-foot allevs A 
plaza, the present Seventh-street park, blocks for hotels, one on the ocean front 
he persent location of Mirimar, and one on Eighth street, facing the plaza' 
for public buildings, the block between Fifteenth and Sixteenth, Nevada and 
California; also blocks for a university and a young ladies' seminarv, were 
reserved on the map. The ocean front was kept intact and Ocean avenue was 
made 200 feet m width, the other streets and avenues 80 and 100 feet in width 
A water system had already been planned and work begun on a large reservoir 
to be filled from the San A^icente springs. The slope of the land gave ample 
water pressure and provided excellent natural drainage. Much of the present 
desirability of Santa Monica as a residence town is due to the liberal allotment 
and unequaled natural advantages of this original townsite. 

The establishment of this new " commercial center of the southwest " and 
he ambitious plans of its projectors, together with much wild conjecturing bv 

Z!{'\ 7 r P/r''\^'''^ '"'"^'"'^ '''''^' ""^"^'°"- O" t'^e ^l^v announced 
for the first sale of lots, July 15th, 1875, several hundred people gathered about 

the stand on the blufi:". Many of these were from Los Angeles and Southern 
California pourts, although the only w^ay to reach the spot was bv a long and 
dusty drive. The steamer, Senator, which is remembered by all old settlers 
came in from San Francisco that day with a number of parties who had come 
clown especially to attend this sale. This was the first landing of the Senator 
at Santa Monica. It was also the last boat to land at the " old'' wharf." 

A dry and barren plain rolled away from the bluff and there was no shade 
trom the blazing July sun. One board shack-the beginning of the Hotel Santa 
Monica, and a few tents were the only " improvements - ;side from the par- 
tial y4Duilt wharf, visible. The Honorable Tom Fitch, the " silver-tono-„ed - 
orator, made the great speech of the day-a speech in which he let hi", rich 
imagination run riot, as may be gathered from the following extract: 

"On Wednesday afternoon at one o'clock we will selfat public outcrv to 
d:e highest bidder, the Pacific ocean, draped with a western skv of scarlet 'and 
.old; we will sell a bay filled with white-winged ships; we will sell a southern 
horizon, rimmed with a choice collection of purple mountains, carved in castles 



14() HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

and turrets and domes; we will sell a frostless, bracing, warm, yet unlanguid 
air, braided in and in with sunshine and odored with the breath of flowers. The 
purchaser of this job lot of climate and scenery will be presented with a deed 
to a piece of land 50 by 100 feet, known as ' lot A, in block 251.' The title to 
the land will be guaranteed by the present owner. The title to the ocean and 
the sunset, the hills and the clouds, the breath of the life-giving ozone and the 
song of the birds, is guaranteed by the beneficent God who l>estowed them in 
all their beauty and affluence upon block 251, and attached them thereto by 
almighty warrant as an incorruptible hereditament to run with the land forever." 
Of this same effort, L. T. Fisher said in the Outlook, of July 13th, 1887: 
" Under his eloquence many were led to believe that Santa Monica would at 
once leap to the front as a full-fledged seaport and commercial center. In fact, 
so strong was this impression that not a few prominent men of Los Angeles, 
who held large possessions there, were actually afraid that the precedence of 
the ' city of the Angels ' would slip away from her and be transferred to the 
seacoast. And, if we may be allowed the suggestion, it would have been a good 
thing for the country if it had. Here would have sprung up the great com- 
mercial city of Southern California. It had all the advantages of climate, drain- 
age and all of the best elements that should exist where a large population is 
concentrated." 

Hon. Joseph Lynch, Major Ben Truman and Col. J. J. Ayers, the historic 
trio of Los Angeles editors, were present and also made glowing speeches as 
to the future of Santa Monica and Southern California. 

The first lot sold, lot M in block 173, the northeast comer of Utah and 
Ocean avenue, went to E. R. Zamoyski for $500. Other lots on Ocean 
avenue brought from $400 to $500, and the prices ran down to $75.00 for lots 
back from the shore. Among the first purchasers were Major Hancock, Judge 
O'Melveny, W. J. Broderick, I. W. Hellman, George Boehme, W. D. Vawter 
and sons, H. T. Giroux and others. The sale continued on the ground for three 
■days and on Saturday an auction was held in Los Angeles. Probabl}' about 
$100,000 worth of lots were disposed of during the week. 

The first building in Santa Monica was a rough board shack put uj) in 
April by J. C. Morgan, next to the Santa Monica Hotel and used as a boarding 
place for workmen. The first business house completed was that of H. T. 
Giroux on Second street, still occupied by him. The first general store was 
opened by W. D. Vawter, who purchased three lots on the last day of the 
auction, on Fourth street between Utah and Oregon, paying $125.50 apiece for 
them. Two weeks from that day his store was ready for occupancy. Later 
this building was removed to Third street, where it is still used. The first 
brick building in the town was built by William Rapp, on Second street, between 
Utah and Oregon. It is still in use. A postofifice was established at once and 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 147 

W. H. Williams served as the first postmaster, the office being located in a 
building- on Second street where the Union livery stable now stands. 

The growth of the new town was most promising. A Los Angeles paper 
of September 14th thus summarizes the advance made : 

" Two months since the site of Santa Monica was a plain under the do- 
minion of a sheepherder. Today nearly one hundred substantial houses line its 
broad streets. Two hotels are overflowing with guests. Its lumber yards are 
doing the business of a metropolis and dealers in coal, wood, drygoods and 
groceries are rushing about in energetic ardor to keep up their stock of goods 
which are bought out as rapidly as exposed for sale. The price of town lots 
continues. The fare from San Francisco is $12.00 by boat, while it is $20.00 by 
continuous. The fare from San Francisco is $12.00 by boat, while it is $20 by 
rail, including a stage ride of no miles (the S. P. was not yet completed)". 

Allowing for newspaper exaggeration, we may conclude that the first two 
months of the new town's existence were certainly lively ones. While buildings 
and business sprang up so magically, the new town also provided for the mental 
and moral needs of its citizens. On October 13th, 1875, appeared the first 
number of the Santa Monica Outlook, a neat and well-filled four-page weekly, 
with L. T. Fisher as editor. He began at once that consistent and persistent 
support of the interests of the town which can only be supplied by a first-class 
local newspaper. 

He records in his first number the business houses and advance already 
made and the prospects for the future. Some extracts from earlv numbers 
of the Outlook will give a clear idea of the new town. " On the 15th of July, 
1875. the first lot was sold at Santa Monica. At the date of this writing, October 
nth, 1875, six hundred and fifteen lots have been sold by the land company 
for $131,745 ; 119 houses and shops have been erected. The water of San Vicente 
springs has been collected in two large reservoirs, forming prettv lakes in the 
proposed park, and the flow of half a million gallons per dav is in process of 
being distributed in iron mains all over the townsite." — Outlook, October 13th, 

" Santa Monica continues to advance. We now have a wharf where the 
largest Panama steamers have landed ; a railroad completed to Los Angeles ; 
a telegraph station, a newspaper, postoffice, two hotels, one handsome clubhouse, 
several lodging houses, eight restaurants, a number of saloons, four groceries, 
three drygoods stores, two hardware stores, three fruit stores, one wool com- 
mission house, one news depot and book store, one varietv store, one bakerv, 
one jeweler and watchmaker, one boot and shoe maker, one tin shop, two livery 
stables, one dressmaker, two tin shops, several contractors and builders, three 
real estate agencies, one insurance agency, one coal yard, one brick yard, two 
lumber yards, two private schools and in a short time we shall have two churches 
and a public school." — Outlook. November 24th, 1875. 




REV. J. D. CRUM. 

First Resident Preacher of Santa Monica. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 149 

Among the merchants of the first year we find W. D. Vawter & Sons, Fourth 
street, dealer in drvgoods, clothing-, etc. ; M. J. Bundy, dealer in paints, oils, 
o'lass ; tin shop. Boehme & Kilgariff ; M. Boufosky, groceries, liquors, etc.; H. 
Giroux & Bro., groceries, liquors, etc. ; Wilson news depot, which handled every- 
thing from eastern periodicals to gents' furnishing goods, drugs and medicines ; 
Tell's " Lookout ", which combined " native wines and brandies, fresh fruit, 
vegetables and fish ", with a " livery and feed stable." The hotels were the 
Santa Monica House, kept by J- C. Morgan and C. M. Monroe for a few months 
and then bv J. W. Scott, and the Ocean A^iew House, corner of Oregon and 
Second, kept by Malcom & Harper. 

The first child born in Santa Monica was Earnest Majors, who made his 
appearance on August 2nd and who grew to minhood in this city. The first 
marriage ceremony took place January 20th, 1876. when Alfred Hayes wedded 
Miss Mattie Mountain, Rev. J. D. Crum officiating. The first sermon was 
preached bv the Rev. A. F. White in September. In October, the Rev. ^Nlr. 
Cruiu began holding Methodist services in ilrady's hall, over a store on the coi- 
ner of Oregon and Fifth streets. The first church organized was the Meth- 
odist and thev dedicated their first chapel on January 2nd, 1876. A private 
school, known as the Santa Monica Acadeni}', was opened by D. G. C. Baker 
and wife, November 8th, 1875, and the first public school was opened in the 
Presbyterian chapel on the corner of Third and Arizona, March 6th, 1876, with 
Mr. H. P. McCusick as teacher. 

October 17th, 1875, the first railroad train left Santa Monica for Los An- 
geles, flat cars being used, as the passenger coaches had not arrived. Three 
trips were made that dav and passengers from the steamer Senator were landed 
in Los Angeles twelve hours in advance of those who went on to San Pedro. 
On November 3rd the Outlook exults over — "A Busy Scene. We watched a 
lively scene on Santa Monica wharf last Thursday that is decidedly encouraging. 
On one side the schooner John Hancock was discharging a large cargo of lum- 
ber; on the opposite side the schooner Newton Booth had just arrived with 
railroad ties ; further along the barkentine Ella was unloading coal. The Sen- 
ator was discharging a large cargo of passengers and freight, including several 
race horses. A train of cars was waiting to transport the whole into the back 
country. And it must be remembered that only a few months ago the site of 
this growing town was a sheep pasture and the spot occupied by wharf and 
vessels a lonely waste of waters." 

The same month the coast steamers began to make regular stops at the 
new town, and the Outlook states that at one tiiue 28 mule teams were loaded 
with freight for San Bernardino. On Sunday, December 5th, the new road 
was so far completed that an excursion of 400 people, the first one entering Santa 
Monica, was brought in. Two trains a <lay were put on and the fare was $t.oo: 
freight, $1.00 per ton lietween Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The Southern 



150 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Pacific, when the Jones road ami wharf were assured had dropped the freight 
rate between Los Angeles and San Pedro from $5.00 per ton to $2.50 and on 
the completion of the line it dropped to $1.00 for freight and 50 cents for pas- 
sengers, thus forcing the new road to begin operating at losing rates. The 
people of Los Angeles in their first gratitude for the loosening of the Southern 
Pacific monopoly, declared that they would stand by the Jones road and handle 
their trade over the Santa Monica wharf. 

The year 1876 opened with the brightest prospects for the new town Its beau- 
tiful situation, the ample space given to streets and alleys, the uniform method 
of tree planting which had been adopted, the park and school building which 
were already planned for, added to the favorable outlook for a steadily increasing 
volume of business, drew many people to adopt Santa Monica as a home. 

In February a meeting was called to consider the question of incorporating 
the new town ; but after a very lively discussion' the proposition received but 
one aye. In April the Outlook, which was an energetic agent and exponent of 
Santa INIonica progress, published its first " special edition " reviewing the 
achievements of the first six months of existence. It states that looo lots in 
the town and thirty-five acre villa lots had already been sold ; 2000 acres of the 
San \^icente ranch, lying along the L. A. & I. road in the vicinity of San Vicente 
springs had been divided into villa farms, to be sold at $100 per acre. The 
population of the town is given as between 800 and 900, with 116 school children. 
A school district had been' organized with J. W. Scott, L. T. Fisher and John 
Freeman as trustees and March nth, 1S76, a special election was held and $5000 
tax voted for school purposes. The schoolhouse, located on Sixth street, was 
ready for use in September, 1876. 

In April Michael Dufify's bath house was completed, the first one in Santa 
Monica, and a pavilion was built on the beach by Jones and Baker. The Santa 
Monica Hotel was enlarged and several business houses built. There were 
many visitors and campers both at North Beach, and at the caiion. One of the 
greatest attractions was a series of ring tournaments between mounted knights, 
one side, of Americans, led by B. F. Reid, the other composed of native Cali- 
fornians was under the command of J. J. Carrillo. 

In March J. W. Scott made the first " addition " to the town of Santa 
Monica, a tract of forty-three acres lying east of town between Fifth and Eighth 
streets, and known as " Prospect Hill." Mr. Scott laid this oi¥ into lots, planted 
a thousand " blue gum " trees, and put in a bridge across Sixth street to connect 
it with the town. An auction was held March 31st and fifty lots were sold at 
prices ranging from '^yy to $200. 

This year a road was opened between Santa Monica and San Fernando 
valley, through the efforts of Isaac Lankershim, who wished to ship the grain 
from his 100,000-acre ranch by way of Santa Monica and thus save the cost of 
the road in a single year. But the Southern Pacific at nnce dropped its rate 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 151 

and thus the Santa Monica road was never used by Lankershim, although it 
was a paynig nivestment for him to build it. The CaHfornia Coast Steamship 
Co., whose object was to carry on a freight and passenger traffic between San 
Francisco and Santa Monica, was organized this year, with a capital stock of 
$400,000. Lucky ' Baldwin is credited with $75,000 stock and Col. Baker 
with $25,000, but the plans of the company never materialized. 

A great deal of anxiety was manifested as to the completion of the L A 
& I. road which had come to a stop when it reached Los Angeles. It was stili 
believed that it would be continued to Independence and possibly further. This 

belief was strength- 
ened by the actual 
work of a grading 
force in the Cajon 
Pass. But no final 
decision as to a route 
between Los Angeles 
and the pass was 
made. San Bernar- 
dino talked of raising 
a subsidy to secure 
the line and Santa 
Ana and Riverside 
had hopes. Los Ange- 
les citizens held meet- 
ings to discuss the 




FIRST CHURCH IN SANTA MONICA. FIRST M. E. CHURCH. 



des,-.biH., of aidi.,, .he Independence road. A.ead, ."was seeTZ Z 
.nfluence and competition of the Southern Pacific was bearing heavily on the 

that their independent hne might be absorbed by the monopoly. 

Dnring 1877 Santa Monica continued to hold its own in "growth A new 

eq. pne°rwir^ Tf' \ T '" '^^ * '^ ""' °" "^' ''^^^ front an<I fullv 
equipped with hot steam baths, plunge and facilities for salt-water bathing in 

00,: we e" .f . ; 7 """• '"""'"^ "''''■ ^'^"""»" """^ '"'^ refreshment 
ooms weie added to the pavilion. Altogether the finest accommodations on 

the coast were ofl'ered here. The Ocean House under the management of C 
A. bnmner was opened this season, and the number of visitors and campers 
increased over any previous season. 

.1, ''1' i^^'n !!'"''"" ^^"'" '""■""' -*°°° '''' °f '^'='' PiP*^ """cl. was pur- 
chased by B. D. Wilson for use in the extensive irrigation system which he 
and Shorb were then constructing near San Gabriel. The Santa Monica pipe 
proved so satisfactory that large orders „ere placed for it and in the fall work 



152 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA, BAY CITIES 

was begnn on a clay pipe manufactory, a two-story building. 40 by 60, with 
a larg-e furnace. This was the first utilization of the Santa Monica clay beds. 

The plaza lietween California and Nevada streets had been planted with 
Monterey cvpress, blue gum, live oak, pepper, weeping willow and iron-bark 
trees. lones and Baker had set out 4200 blue gum and pepper trees along the 
streets, and these had already begun to make a showing. The extraordinary 
fertility of the soil in Santa Monica and vicinity was a constant source of wonder. 
Blue gums planted in August, 1875, measured 12 to 15 feet high in November, 
1877. ^^^^ Outlook fre(]uentlv referred to a tomato vine which became one of 
the sights of the town. It was trained by J. W. Scott against his house and 
reached a height of twenty-five feet, while it bore profusely. Corn 14 feet tall 
is reported and the beautiful flower gardens which were the result of a little 
care and attention were the admiration of all visitors. 

The question of the ownership of the beach front had already come up. 
Some parties claimed that the beach was government property and the question 
led to more or less friction. A very sad outcome of this dispute occurred in 
October, 1S77. ^ carpenter, John V. Fonck, was working on a small bath house 
which was being put up on land in dispute. C. M. Waller, who was in charge 
of the bath house and beach property of the land company, ordered him to quit 
work. Upon his refusal to do so, Waller fired and wounded him fatally. He 
claimed that he thought the gun was loaded with bird shot and that he was 
acting under the orders of E. S. Parker, the representative of Jones and Baker. 
On trial, he was sentenced for one year. Parker was also tried, and although 
it did not appear that he had given direct orders, he was sentenced to ten years 
in the penitentiary. He was released to await a new trial ; but as a result of 
the affair his young wife died and a week later Parker also died — of a broken 
heart, so his friends believed. This unfortunate affair gave rise to much feel- 
ing, as it had been believed by many that purchasers of lots were entitled to put 
up a bath house for private use on the beach. The question of beach ownership 
continued troublesome and there were constant difficulties over it until the courts 
decided, in 1888, that the boundary of the San Vicente ranch extended to tide 
water and therefore Jones and Baker had the ownership to that point. 

The railroad question continued to be the most vital one to Santa IMonica 
and, indeed, to Southern California. The influence and competition of the 
Southern Pacific was proving too strong to be overcome by the Los Angeles 
and Independence road, single-handed. Under the conditions, it could not be 
made a paying proposition. The Panamint mines had not panned out as was 
expected, and the idea of continuing the road to Independence had been aban- 
doned. Senator Jones had already sunk a million dollars in the enterprise ; but 
he could not be expected to go on indefinitely losing money. He offered to sell 
the road at cost to the people of Los Angeles county. Many were strongly 
favorable to this idea. The Outlook and its editor, L. T. Fisher, made a strong 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA iiAY CITIES 153 

fio-ht against the " monopoly." In one of his editorials, he sets forth the follow- 
ing reasons why the L. A. & I. road is a " good thing ", and should be owned 
by the county : 

" I. The railway from Los Angeles to Santa Monica has given the people 
another outlet to the ocean. 

" 2. It has brought the cars and the largest deep-sea vessels together. 

" 3. It has shortened the ocean passage from San Francisco to 34 miles 
and the time to Los Angeles from six to ten hours. 

" 4. It enables parties who wish to make the most of their time to remain 
several hours longer in Los Angeles and then catch the same steamer as pas- 
sengers by w^a}- of the Southern 'Pacific and San Pedro. 

'.' 5. It has reduced freight from $5.00 per ton to $1.00 and passenger rate 
from $2.50 to 50 cents. 

"■ 6. It has reduced the price of lumber in Los Angeles and along the line 
of the S. P. not less than $5.00 per thousand. 

" 7. It has raised the price of land along its route not less than 100 per cent. 

" 8. It has greatly increased the inducements for settlement in a portion 
of Los Angeles countv which has hitherto been neglected. 

" 9. It has established a cheap means by wdiich the people of the interior 
and of Los Angeles can enjoy the benefits of the sea shore. 

" 10. It constitutes in itself property that adds greatly to the aggregate 
wealth of the county. 

"II. It can he held as a check, not only upon existing roads in this 
locality, but upon all roads that may be built, because it furnishes a connection 
with ocean vessels that can reach all quarters of the world." 

Meetings were held to discuss plans for saving the road from the S. P. 
and other meetings were held which suggested all sorts of possible and im- 
possible projects for saving the country from the complete domination of the 
Central Pacific. But all the talk and the many schemes proposed came to 
nothing. In March, 1877, Leland Stanford, president of the C. P., and General 
Colton. president of the S. P., with a corps of their assistants, visited Santa 
Monica, to " look around — nothing doing," they assured the reporters. In 
May. another party of Central Pacific magnates came down and looked over 
Santa Monica and brought speculation to fever heat. On June 4th. 1877. it 
was definitely announced that the Los Angeles and Independence road had 
been sold to the Central Pacific. Santa Monica people could only accept the 
change and make the best of it. At first the Outlook hopefully announced 
that it wasn't so bad — the great company would undoubtedly improve the 
service and build up the trade. Its hopes were shortlived. In July the fare 
on the Pacific Coast steamers was increased from $12 to $15, and freight rates 
on steamers and bv rail were soon increased. Then it was announced that 




CHARLES E. TOVVXER. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 155 

hereafter only two small steamers, the Senator and Ancon, would ply along 
the coast, owing to the falling off in traffic. 

In this connection, some extracts from letters written by Crocker and 
Huntington will show the odds against which the promoters of the L. A. & I. 
railway struggled. On Alay i8th, 1875, Charles Crocker wrote: "I notice 
what you say of Jones, Park, etc. I do not think they will hurt us much, at 
least, I should rather be in our places than theirs. I will ventilate their 'safe 
harbor.'" And on May 25th, Huntington responded: "I shall do my best 
to cave him (Jones) down the bank." 

During 1878 Santa Monica struggled against the hard fate that had 
befallen her. The Southern Pacific removed the depot from the wharf to its 
present location and gave, as a concession, a round-trip fare of $1.00 good for 
three days. Many excursions from interior towns were brought to the coast 
during the summer and Santa Monica remained the most popular resort, 
although it could no longer hope for a great commercial importance. But 
worse was to come. The S. P. sent one of its engineering force to examine 
the wharf. After a careful inspection, he reported that the condition of the 
piles was most alarming, owing to the ravages of the toredo, and that it was 
unsafe for trains unless at least three-fourths of the piles were replaced. As 
this would entail a large expense, he advised that the use of the wharf be 
abandoned. On September 9th, the Senator made its last landing and the 
name of Santa Monica was taken off the steamer lists. 

It was a crushing blow that had been dealt the town which had started 
out so propitiously. Naturally, business dropped off and many people moved 
away. Partnerships were dissolved, mortgages foreclosed, a number of business 
houses sold out to satisfy their creditors. The population of the town melted 
away and the editor of the Outlook, who had made a brave fight for the town 
of his adoption, announced on December 19th, 1878, that, the next week being 
Christmas, the paper would be omitted for a week. It was " omitted " for 
eight years. 

Early in 1879 the S. P. ordered the removal of the wharf. The citizens 
of Santa Monica protested and offered to purchase the structure as it stood, 
but the offer was declined and the work proceeded. In 1888, the editor of 
the Outlook had sufficiently recovered to be able to describe the sad scene: 

" A l:!ig bumper was planted upon the shore end to keep trains from 
running upon it, even by accident. Next came the order to tear down the 
structure. The work of destruction began one fine morning and the sea was 
as calm as if it had been a human being holding its breath in very wonder at 
such an exhibition of unjustifiable vandalism. It was a bright morning, but 
It was a blue day for the people who lived here. We heard the first blow 
of the destructive implement and remarked that it was the death knell of Santa 



156 HISTORY OF SANTA .AIOXICA BAY CITIES 

Monica. And \ct. in the midst of this industrial trai^edy. there was an element 
of comedw Tlie workmen had liad their minds so thorouj^hl}- impressed with the 
dangerous condition of the wharf that they tiptoed over the structure as if 
thev expected every minute that it would crumble beneath them.- They finally 
reached the outer end, tore up the flooring, stripped otT the stringers, removed 
the braces and then attempted to topple over the piles with long poles. These 
stumps of redwood wielded no more than if they had been growing trees. 
Next the stringers were replaced and a temporary flooring laid u])on which 
a donkey engine was placed. A noose was made of a huge chain and dropped 
over the piles at the bottom. Even this power failed. As a finality, men were 
sent in boats at low tide with axes and the piles were chopped off at low 
water mark. The beach was strewn for a considerable distance with the timber 
that washed ashore. Upon examination many of these piles were found to be 
only a little worm eaten, which shows that the wharf at a comparatively little 
cost, could have been kept intact." — Outlook, February 20th, 1888. 

As soon as it was definitely known that the S. P. would abandon the 
shipping business in Santa Monica Bay, new projects were talked of. It had 
already been proposed that the people of Los Angeles build a wharf and a 
narrow guage road and thus obtain a competing line. In October, 1878, a 
company of San Francisco capitalists proposed to construct a harbor at 
Santa Monica, build a narrow guage road and pitt on a line of steamers which 
should carry freight at $3.50 per ton and passengers at $8.00 between Los 
Angeles and San Francisco. The right of way was already secured and work 
was to be begun at once. In November agreements between John Hayes, of 
San Francisco, and citizens of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, were pub- 
lished. These set forth that Hayes was to build a narrow guage road from 
Santa Monica to Los Angeles and ultimately to San Bernardino, and to carry 
passengers between Los Angeles and Santa ^Monica for 25 cents and freight 
for $1.00. Another agreement made by John Wright of San Francisco was to 
the effect that he would put on a line of substantial steamships, provided the 
citizens of Los Angeles would do all their shipping on them. 

Many other projects were discussed. The first one to show any signs 
of materializing was the building of a wharf by Juan Bernard, an old resident 
of Los Angeles, who had become one of the most prominent citizens. He 
had married a daughter of Augustin Machado and was thus interested in South 
Santa Monica property. This wharf which was built from the foot of Strand 
street was intended to be fifteen hundred feet, ]:)ut was not coiupleted. A 
large warehouse was built, which was planned to be com])lcte for commercial 
purposes, but the S. P. forbade the steamers to land here, and the fiat was 
obeyed. No boat ever lufloaded there, and the wharf was finall\' carried out 
by a severe storm about 1883 ^'""l the timber used for other ])urposes. 




HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 157 

Only a few very stout hearted citizens still had faith that Santa Monica 
would ever again reach its former prosperity. But there were those who had 
become attached to the place and who felt confident that the great natural 
advantages afforded by the climate, the situation and the fertility of the soil, 
would eventually make up for the loss of shipping facilities. And so lono- as 
the people of Los Angeles and the interior could escape to Santa Monica during 
torrid days of summer and tourists and healthseekers could find here their 
ideal resting spot and homes, the place would still prosper. These few remained 
through the darkest days and gradually newcomers discovered the advantages 
here which could not be obtained elsewhere, and began to fill up the vacant 
houses and to purchase and improve other property. 

Hox. Joiix Pkkcivai, Joxes was born in a small village, in Herefordshire, 
England, January 27th, 1829. While he was still an infant, his family removed 
to the I'nited States and settled near Cleveland, Ohio, Here the child grew 
to youth and acquired a public school education, after which he entered the 
service of a bank in Cleveland. But when the news of the gold discoveries 
of California penetrated the country and called to every youth with a bold 
heart and adventurous blood, young Jones joined forces with several other 
young men who were as eager for the change as himself. Thev secured a 
small vessel, sailed through the lakes and the St. Lawrence river and started 
on the long and perilous voyage around "the Horn." They were months on 
the ocean and experienced many hardships and dangerss before thev finally 
reached San Francisco Bay, in the spring of 1850. The young adventurer at 
once hastened away to the mines to seek his fortune. For many years he was 
a typical California miner, sometimes finding his hopes fulfilled, often finding 
them dashed. 

In those da}s when thousands of men sought gold with fierce energy, 
hvmg without homes, without comforts, without the restraints of civilization. 
It was only strong character and true manhood that withstood the temptations 
of the environment. Young Jones came of sturdy stock and proved himself 
a man and a leader, even in these early days. He served as sheriff in the 
county of Trinity at a time when the office required a stout heart and level 
head for— to a large extent— the sheriff was the law. From 1863 to 1868 he 
was a member of the state legislature of California. In the meantime, he 
had gamed much experience in mines and mining propositions. When the 
great developments of the Comstock lode began to attract attention, he was 
one of the first on the ground. Later he was made the superintendent of the 
Crown Point mine. 

Thus he became a resident of Nevada and when in 1872, a critical period 
m the history of the young state approached, he was mentioned as a candidate 



158 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

for the United States senate. The contest was a hot one, he being at first 
opposed bv William Sharon ; but the " Nevada Commoner," as Jones had come 
to be known, was regarded as a friend to the miners and in the end, he was 
elected and took his seat March, 1873. 

In 1876, the Monetary Commission of the senate was appointed to inquire 
into the relative value of gold and silver, the causes thereof and kindred 
questions, wdiich vitally afifected the mining interests and particularly the 
interests of the state of Nevada — a silver-producing state. Senator Jones was 
chosen as chairman of this committee and entered upon the study of the ques- 
tions arising, with keen interest. It is said of the report rendered by the 
Monetary Commission that, " Nothing so thoroughly exhaustive had ever been 
presented to Congress, and the view taken was favorable to the interests of 
Nevada and of the Comstock miners." 

Naturally, at the expiration of his term, Senator Jones who had acquitted 
/limself upon so important and vital an occasion with credit and made a strong 
argument for the silver of his state, was re-elected. For thirty years he con- 
tinuously served in the United States senate, a record seldom equalled. He 
became, in his long career, a noted figure and was counted as one of the 
strongest men on the floor. A writer in Munsey's, some years ago, pays him 
this tribute : 

"Senator John P. Jones,- who has just been re-elected to the United 
States senate for another period of six years, is one of the interesting figures 
of the upper house of congress. He was a warm personal friend of Senator 
Conklin and formerly belonged to the stalwart wing of the Republican party. 
Of recent years, he has been one of the strongest men of the ' silver party ' 
in the country, and last year he withdrew from the old party and supported 
Mr. Bryan for the presidency. 

" Mr. Jones is a very able man and has probably made more speeches on 
the financial question than all of the other members of the senate put together. 
He is a profound scholar and has the ability to marshal an imposing array of 
facts to support his arguments. 

" He was a delegate to the Brussels Monetary Conference which met during 
the administration of President Harrison. Before that body, he spoke for 
three days, the printed report of his speech containing over two hundred 
thousand words. A representative of the Rothschilds made the remark that if 
there were many men in America with Senator Jones' capacity for speaking, the 
advocates of the gold standard would do well to surrender at once. 

" Senator Jones is exceedingly popular in Washington. When he first 
entered the senate, he was many times a millionaire. Subsequently he lost 
most of his wealth, but it is said that in later years he has been fortunate in his 
investments and is again a verv rich man." 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 159 

As will be seen, Senator Jones was a man of the people a „rart,V»l ,„• ■ 
™n as wen as an expert in handling mines and mining slocks.Thri 
foitnnes-and lost theni-with the calm indifferenee of the trne miner ^T^ 
stde thts he is a n,an of great nat.ve abilit,, who, without th aiZ! .f schools" 
has made h.mself an authority on financial qnestions and created^he utmost' 
confidence ,n h,s sound judgment and clear perception 
.-^■■■^ Senator Jones has been inti„,ately associated with the historv of Santa 
Montca s.nce „s tneeption. In 1874, he purchased an interest n the San 
Vicente rancho and, with Col R *; R,l,„,. ua » , 

Monica. During the next twr, n,' tT . ° "'' '°"'"'"<= °^ ^anta 

c .1 r, ,./ . °' ""^<=* y^""- he spent a million dollars ;„ 

Southern Cahforn,a, in building „p Santa Monica and in building and carrvi'" 
on the Los Angeles and Independence railway, which was in.«ded to r h 

his Panamint mines and nossihlv hp fi.^ ^ • r 

Sic dt^r '"' -'-' '"' ''--■ -'- '^ --'■ "-pe tnrrm::; 

Thk Vavvtur Family. 
was 7ZnTs:t^:7sl:rVl^ "''''''"' =>™' '»"'-^ "^ Santa Monica. 

old and distint^uishert famil, ,,■ *''°P'«f "'>• He was a descendant of an 
being native of VrlnirH 'k"""' ^"''""' ^"'' ^""«= ^'»"'«'-. both 

Aug:,st itt^y .'About ,8rthr;am/°""' *"f ' ""■• ''^'''=°"' '""--• 

"ocated on a farm' near I .0.™ of Ver"on '^Zfn" J"^"'"»^ —"^ -" 
farmer of his son- hut th. u7l , -^ ^''*" P™P°sed to make a 

Ae age of twe vT wen to I !, T '"'^'"^ '°'' "'^' ™^^'™ «"d ^°™ after 

he had a g rat affrtio,, Hit fi ' T"'' ^°'°'"' -'°'^" ^^^^'^^' '" -^om 
towns of Madison and Ver f Tf ""' ^'"""^ "" °-^ "^^m between the 

This work bv reason 0!°™ "1? d"'*,"""'""''^' ''' "'^ ""*'^ ='°-- 
suited the darinTsoTrit of h f T™''' '"" °'''''°"=" ^^"S-^"- f™" ^"^ges, 
tmcle and th n 'pa rCr i , th?"" T "• '"^"^ ^ ^'^^^ '" "« ^'°- »' "is 
Vawter. Together thev arried I "' '" '°™P"'^' "'"' '"^ ^°-'"' Smith 
-•s Cor,.r.^-„ ve!:^™ ™ -— r": iTarf' "'"' '™"'"- ^' ^ -"- 

was f realTrelXte " ""'""'", °' "" '°™" ^'°^ '•' """"'"■ »' -ars. He 

Bible deposTto V „; Ien,7'''"" ""' """ ""^ '"^^"" -'" -^-todian of the 

pos.tory of Jennmgs county, a branch of the American Bible Society, 




E. T. VAWTER. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 161 

from its organization. He always took a lively interest in nuniicipal politics 
and in national affairs. He was a Whig during the life of that political party 
and a member of the Republican party from its birth. He voted for General 
William Henry Harrison and in 1888 cast his vote for General Benjamin Har- 
rison. 

In 1875 he came to California and w-as one of the original members of the 
Indiana colony which was the forerunner of the city of Pasadena. Mr. Vawter 
purchased a sixty-acre ranch in that colony, which is now occupied by the busi- 
ness portion of the city. Drawn by report of the great advantages offered by 
the new settlement of Santa Monica which was to become the commercial metrop- 
olis of Southern California, he with his sons located here and opened the first 
general store in the town, in a building on the lots on Fourth street still occupied 
bv the Yawter residence. 

As the town commenced to grow he established lumber yards and soon 
built a planing mill, which proved a boon to home builders. He secured a fran- 
chise in 1886 and with his sons built the first street railway, which was for some 
time operated at a loss. They demonstrated their faith in the future, however, 
bv extending the line to the Soldiers' Home, a distance of about five miles, and 
he lived to see it a paving enterprise. With his sons he organized the First 
National Bank of Santa Monica and opened the same in the brick building on 
the southeast corner of Third and Oregon, which they built in 1888. 

Mr. A^awter was married, July 15th, 1834, to Mary Charlotte Tilghman 
Crowder of Baltimore, Maryland. She died September 22nd, 185 1. Her chil- 
dren were Mary Ellen, May, Jane Cravens, William Smith and Edwin James. 
Mr. A'^awter married Charlotte Augusta Knowlton in November, 1852. She 
was a native of Shrewsbury, Mass. She died in Santa Monica, December 27th, 
i8<:)3, leaving one daughter, Emma. A son, Charles Knowlton, had died pre- 
viously. 

Mr. Yawter was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church in Santa 
Monica and was always one of its staunch supporters. He was a man of pure 
life — both in thought and action. He was pre-eminently just and never inten- 
tionally did any man a wrong. At the same time, he was not a man of loud 
or bold pretense and moved along life's journey doing the right thing at the 
right time: "because it was the natural outlet for energies which were attuned 
to those harmonies which could only accord with what was best." The memory 
of his noble life will linger like a restraining benediction to call us up toward 
a better standard of thought and action. 

Mr. Yawter passed away at his home in Santa ^Monica. July loth, 1894. 

Mary Eli^En YA^^•TER, the first child of W. D. and Mary C. Yawter, was 
born at Yernon, Ind., October 28th, 1836. At the age of eighteen she began 
teaching school. At twenty-three she married Ward Leavitt of Chatauqua, N. 
y. In the spring of 1875, ^^^- ^^^^ "Shs. Leavitt with their daughter, Florence, 
removed to California. They were stockholders in the Indiana colony, but after 
11 



162 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

a short residence there located in Santa Monica. In 1880 they returned to Pasa- 
dena and Hved for some years upon their orange ranch. In 1887 they again 
located in Santa Monica, where Mr. Leavitt died, October 23th, 1896. Mrs. 
Leavitt and daughter still reside in Santa Monica. 

May VawTEr was born at Vernon, Ind., March 4th, 1838. She was edu- 
cated in the schools of her native town and received a special musical training. 
After teaching school and traveling through the southern and eastern states 
and Canada, she accompanied her family to California in 1875. In the spring 
of 1876 she married Switzer S. Harwood, M.D. Dr. and Mrs. Harwood lived 
at San Pablo and in San Francisco and Yreka. They finally removed to Sydney, 
Australia, where they made their home. Mrs. Harwood was a self-reliant 
woman, adventurous from childhood, and she several times made the voyage 
between Sydney and California. 

She early united with the Vernon Presbyterian church and was a charter 
member of the First Presbyterian church of Santa Monica. She died in Sydney, 
Australia, March ist, 1884. 

Jank Cravens Vawter is a native of Vernon, Ind. She received her edu- 
cation in private and public schools of her native town and later studied under 
Dr. J. C. Burt, following a college course. She also took a special course of 
reading extending over several years. When very young she was interested in 
political and national questions and became a staunch abolitionist. She was for 
several years a teacher in the public schools of Indianapolis. 

She united with the Presbyterian church at Vernon, and was the projector 
and one of the founders of the first Sunday-school in Santa Monica. This was 
organized and carried on for some weeks in the home of W. D. Vawter. Miss 
V^awter was a charter member of the First Presbyterian church and served for 
some time as its Sunday-school superintendent. She was long a teacher in this 
school, taking children from their tenth year and holding them until they reached 
majority. She was one of the two solicitors who collected funds for the present 
beautiful Presbyterian building. She and her sister. Miss Emma, now live to- 
gether in the fine old homestead on Fourth street. Santa Monica. 

Aramatha Charlotte; VawtiJr was born in \'ernon, Ind., September 25th, 
1841. She was educated at Jennings Academy, Vernon, and at Oxford, Ohio. 
After teaching for a time, she was married, October i6th, 1866, to Septimus 
\^ater, now a prominent banker of Lafayette, Ind. Mrs. \^ater, who has always 
been an active worker in the Presbyterian church and its auxiliaries, has been 
ordained a deaconess in her home church and is widely known for her good 
works in her home city. 

WiLMAM S. Vawter, the eldest son of W. D. and Mary C. A'awter, was 
born near A'ernon, Tnd., /\])ril ist, 1845. He passed through the graded schools 
of the town and graduated from a commercial college in Cincinnati, Ohio. Re- 
turning to his native place, he was appointed deputy county clerk of Jennings 
county. Later he became editor and proprietor of the J'cnion Banner, a weekly 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 163 

paper, which he conducted with success for a couple of Aears R t, 

the nianufacturinq- business whirh h. /-"^^P^e ot Acars. He then entered 

in 1875. '''' ^'' ^"^"^'""^^' ^'"^'^ 1^^^ came to CaHfornia 

f^^^^'^^i:::^:::;!;::': ^'^'^^ r ^->' -- ^-^^--- the vawters. 

.iucted an e^tens^r^^SetLu ::si::^ J^: "^.^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^°"- 
ni? the long period of depression succeed nl the I , ' ""'^ ^'''' '^''" 

the Southern Pacific Company and n ". , abandonment of the wharf bv 

retained their faith in'^^^ ^^^^^^^^ '^LXlrT^"^^ ^^"'^^^°"^' 
100 acres of the Lucas ranrh .rU 1 , "^ ^^'^ Vawters purchased 

This ,a„c, w. ,ate'; s^s H™/;: ':,.: ^ar^ , ?:""'77' *' '°™- 

part of the present soml, end of the ci v TsJ^M 't "'' ' '"''^'^ 

they sold half of this Drooertv for ,, °* ^^"'^ Monica. Dunng 1887-88 

W. S. Vawtet ^.^^ZZJ^^Z^ ."J:!^ i^' '^^ --;'^-" and 
residences in that district. °""'''' """^ °f 'h« ""' 

Mr. \'awter lias served the citv of lant, ir ■ 
was one of tl,e i^rst board of trusted then tl e io' '" '"""' '^''''"'"" "^ 
served from ,886 to 180^ ■ in ,no, 1 "'''"."'<^ '°"'" "as nicorporated and 

until 1906. ' '°^ ''" "■'= =■«'"' ^'^<^'«' '^i'.>- '"■'^tee and served 

svste"\:d"t,;rsXt"yo,;:f '"';;'""' r. "- ^^"^ *'°"'" -«* -"--■ 

Pacihc. With I -rt he" E J V^t*: "Tr v"V°" '° "" ""'^ ^"^^^'^ 
Monica Mill and r umber r^ • oo ' ^ '''''^'^'' o^^^nized the Santa 

pan,, in -8 ;:l's"::te?e7i:'T^^^^^ ^7™--a> Co,.- 

is now vice-Dresidp„t M ,1,. Ar ! National Banlt formed n, 1888. and 

was one o d , be s ^IT 0^ W f "n"'' "*"* °' ^'"^'^ ^'°"-- "^ 

..^;e.r.,.ve-tr::-^v:rr,:— ^^^^^^ 

an acdve pa^rTi,; prbhvTff ■ '"'n^ '"•^' '''^''•""'^■^" '" P°""- and has taken 
son he ser "^ '■ °"''"'8^ "'<^ administration of President Harri 

*n. Ci:;:,!" TT'" °' '^"^ ''""'^'- ^^^-Sning on the electio of Pre - 
Stat Wd of Ra ;. Co?"™-^ °' "'I '" '"'' ^"P""*-' => "-"*- of the 
the prcsMencv oft e San m'™"'.'"-' '"'P'^' "" P"^'"""' ^^'^^-'S f-" 
cation to do so ®'""^' ^"""^ "«' '™™ ""= •=°ard of edt,- 

of John S Moore ^f ft A V ' ?"" °"' daughter, Mary C, now tl,e wife 
on the corner o Second ^^f" f ,' '"' ^''- ^''^*" ''''" ' beautiful home 
-..ytrees."he;r!:rofyrs.^"' ""'^°"" ^^•^""^- "'*" ^^ ^'~'^^ ^-^^ 



164 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Edwin James Vawtkr was born in Vernon, Ind., November 26th, 1848. 
After being educated in the public schools, he showed a decided tendency for 
business and made his first venture as a newspaper man, on the Vcnioii Baiiiicr. 
He was soon taken into partnershij) with his father, W. D. Vawter. in his gen- 
eral merchandise business, at the old " Vawter Corner ", in Vernon. On the 
removal to California in 1875, the ])artnership between father and son was con- 
tinued, and he was also one of the stockholders in the Indiana colony. He 
located in Santa Monica when the family decided upon this as a residence. He 
has taken a large part in the financial and business affairs of this vicinity and 
has always been known as an enterprising investor in every effort which prom- 
ised success. Many of the improvements which Santa Monica has enjoyed and 
is enjoying today have been inaugurated liy the Vawter family and carried 
forward to completion with perseverance in the face of difficulties. Mr. E. J. 
X'awter has had a large share in the enterprises which were organized by his 
father and brother, as well as having originated many other successful ventures 
himself. He was president of the City Water Coiupany organized in 1896 to 
supply the district known as Ocean Park with water ; he was cashier of the 
First National Bank of Santa Monica until it was sold to Senator Jones in 1893. 
In 1899 he began the development of what has proved to be one of the most 
important of Santa Monica industries — that is the growing of carnations and 
other flowers for the market. A large tract of land is now under cultivation 
and the business is steadily increasing in value. 

He was the founder of the Santa Monica Commercial Company, organized 
to carry on real estate, banking, railroading and other transactions. He remains 
the president and manager of this company, which represents the properties left 
himself and four sisters by the will of their father. He organized the First 
National Bank of Ocean Park, in 1905, of which he was president until 1907. 

Mr. Vawter has always been closely identified with the public interests ; he 
has served the city as a member of the board of city trustees, and as member 
of the library board and of the school board. He has also taken part in many 
of the political conventions of the Republican party and is identified with the 
Masonic order (being a 32n(l degree Mason), Knights of T\thias, and Pioneers 
of Los Angeles county. 

He was married to Miss Laura E. Dixon in Indiana, in 1S69. She died 
in 1886. They were the parents of one son, E. J. Vawter, Jr., who inherits 
the business ability of the family. 

In t888 Mr. Vawter married Mrs. Isabella L. Nelson. She is gifted witli 
a fine voice, which is often used in the aid of charitable causes. Thev have a 
pleasant home, in the midst of flowers, in South Santa Monica. 

Emma KNowi/roN Vawtkk was born in X'ernon, Ind., August 21st, 1853. 
vShe received her education in the public schools of Vernon, Ind., and in the 
Western Seminary and Oxford College, where she graduated in 1873. She 
came to California with her father's family and has since that lime been a resi- 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 165 

dent of Santa Monica. Having received a good nK.sical edncation she acted 
She resides h ,th her s.ster, Jane Cravens, i„ ,he old l,ome at Santa Monica 

„.d after ,,is nto, J, LTin X. .fvldlr a' til"::::,:;;- ^ 

«R8 ; '^' ''^'''" ^^ ^"^^'"^d Purdue University Indiana Tn 

1888 he entered the State University at Rerk-elpv k . -Indiana. In 

typhoid fever did not con.plete the course '' '"' """^^ ^° "^ ^"^^^^' ^^ 

In 1889 he took a position with the First Nation;,! P^,.i f e . ^r ■ 

On the organization of tite Cont.ercia, Ban o^S ta Mo La itfX r'h" 

:fTrt;r r «':r':::;s i:r -'- °^ r «-'--^' --- b^^" 

Ban. „ hen hecan, cas;ir ^t^^^^^ ^l; ^ i^^^ ^^:^:^ 
■ p"' ","°r' '^'■'"''"" °* *" ^'^^' National Bank of Ocean Park 

--0C, ad has sted":^, .ts"'::!::': iTt^rr:,?" ^■"-" ^'""- 

Arka^as CiirWa:™ The '^"'f''- ''*' '° '"^^ ^^^^^ C'-nnell of 
Kdwina. ■ '""' '"° '^'"'*^"' Marjorie Dixon and Helen 




.£Sj>rL\ i'.' 




J. J. CARRILLO. 



CHAPTER III. 

From Town to City. 1880- 1890. 

THE opening of the new decade found Santa Monica in the midst of most 
chscouragmg circimistances. The population as shown by the United 
States census was 417, but this included the population of the entire 
township of La Ballona. Values had greatly depreciated. Three lots and a 
house on the corner of Oregon avenue and Second street were sold, about this 
bme, for $750. L T. Fisher sold his place on Third street, now known as the 
General Sargeant house, two lots, a small house and highly improved grounds 
for $300^ Three lots on the corner of Utah and Third, with improvements,' 
sold for $1200. As late as 1885 the corner now occupied by the Santa Monica 
bank bmldmg sold at a probate sale for $400. These are but samples of the 
effect of the dark days." But Santa Monica was not alone in her depression. 
The years from 1880 to 1885 were quiescent throughout Southern California 
The chief enhvenment came through the operation of the Southern California 
Rairoad which was building branch lines in preparation for the coming of the 
Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe line, the completion of which ushered in the 
boom days of the later eighties. Santa Monica looked longinglv toward 
this new hue the ocean terminus of which was not yet determined,' north of 
San Diego But the Southern Pacific hold on the situation here was too strong 
to empt the California Southern this way. until after the failure to make a 
harbor at Ballona. 

Santa ATonica still had advantages, however, which were not dependent 
upon any railroad. She continued to be the favorite summer resort for pleasure 
seekers from the interior towns of the southern end of the state and she offered 
many attractions to eastern tourists and health seekers-when thev were fortu- 
nate enough to discover that such a place as Santa Monica exi;ted. During 

Monic. n'rr """""""Z T '"'""'''' ^''' ^''''^ accommodations and the Santa 
Monica Hotel was remodeled and increased by the addition of twenty rooms 

on""l;n ^°"!r^^\--^ built and many tents were grouped each summei- 
In isST 1 V . ' u" ''' ''""" ^'"^ "'^ ' ^^^^""^^^ -"^P"^^ r^^ort also, 
a refof ^ """""^ '^''' '"^^'^ ^^''^' "^ ^^^ ^"^ure by purchasing 100 

acre for ^e' iZ^' """' ''^'"""'^ '" ^°^^'" °" *'^ ^°"^^^- ^^^'^^ '^^coo per 

cottal^s' we""ii ?V^^^i ""' '" """"^'"-^' ^^^ °"^ '' *b^ b-^b- Hotels and 
Stmdfv u '"'^ ^"^'^ *'^'" "°° '''''' ''''' °^^"P^^d «" North Beach, 

bimday excursions brought crowds and the annual encampment of the GAR 

m August, added to the enrollment. The Catholic church, which had been 



168 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

begun in 1884, was completed in 1885. The population of the town had so 
increased that three teachers were employed and additional school room was 
necessary. During 1885 a free reading room was established by the ladies of 
the Women's Christian Temperance Union in August. This effort, which was 
begun by a few brave, hard-working women, gradually developed into a library 
and became the foundation of the present public lilirary. 

1886. 

The completion of the through line of the Atchison & Topeka road in 
1885 led to the greatest " rate war " ever known in this country and was the 
immediate cause of the marvelous influx of population and capital from which 
the later history of Southern California dates. The cpiickening of the real 
estate market, the breaking up of the large ranches in the vicinity of Santa 
Monica and the great projects for railroads and harbors wdiich were in the air, 
revived land values in this place. In January, 1886, it was reported that the 
Santa Fe, or Atlantic & Pacific road, as it was then called, would build a line 
to South Santa Monica and there construct a wdiarf long enough to accommo- 
date the largest ships. The company was also to build a three-storv hotel on 
its reservation. In view of this rumor and of the purchase of right of way 
for the road, many improvements were made in that direction and new comers 
began to secure lands in South Santa Monica. But the hopes of that section 
were dashed when it w^as learned in October that the " Ballona Harbor Improve- 
ment Company " had been incorporated and that the Los Angeles & Santa 
Monica road, which had been incorporated to connect the A. & P. with Santa 
Monica, had secured a franchise for a wharf and ship canal on Ballona slough. 
Work was at once begun at dredging for the harbor, wdiich had been carefully 
planned by Hugh Crabbe, an engineer of some note. During the next two 
years extensive operations were carried on and a large sum of money was ex- 
pended in the effort to create a harbor at Ballona Port. 

Another important event of 1886 was the building of the Hotel Arcadia. 
During the previous year, J. W. Scott, who had long been one of the most en- 
terprising citizens of the town, and wdio had been host of the Santa Monica 
Hotel for a number of years, purchased from the railroad company a tract of 
land lying along the ocean front between Railroad and Front streets, paying 
for it $3000. He subdivided it into forty lots and sold thirty of them for $30,000. 
\\''ith this money he began the construction of a first-class hotel, a long-felt 
want in Santa Monica. The hotel, when completed January, 18S7, was the 
finest seaside hotel in Southern California and was onlv cciualcd by the Del 
Monte at Monterey in the north. The grounds about it were at once improved 
and the place became the center of Santa Monica's attractions. A bath house 
and ])avilion, and a gravity railway were among the features that were added 
l)y the enter]:)rising management of the establishment. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 169 

In November, 1886, another important step in the advancement of Santa 
Monica occurred. This was the incorporation of the town ; the election to 
'decide the question being held November 30th and resulting in a vote of 97 for 
incorporation and 71 against. The boundaries as fixed were : " From the 
northern corner of Montana avenue and Seventeenth street, east along north- 
erly line of Seventeenth street to the boundary line between San Vicente and 
La Ballona; thence west to the south line of Santa Monica and Compton road; 
thence southeast to the south line of Lucas tract; thence to Pacific ocean." The 
first board of trustees chosen for the town was made up of John Steere, chair- 
man ; Dr. E. C. Folsom, A. E. Ladd. W. S. A^awter and J. W. Scott.' Fred 
€. McKinnie was the first town clerk; H. C. Baggs, Jr., was elected marshal 
and E. K. Chapin treasurer. Baggs failing to qualify, Michael Noon was ap- 
pointed in his place. 

While there was considerable opposition to incorporation by what the £.r- 
press terms the " old fogies ", on the ground of the additional 'taxes to be ex- 
pected as a result, the feeling in general was that the interests of the town de- 
manded the change and that public improvements must be made, even though 
the wherewithal must come out of the pockets of the propertv owners. The 
board of trustees at once entered upon a campaign of public improvements 
which within the next few years transformed the rough, dusty and ungraded 
roads which were called streets and avenues into well graded, graveled "streets 
with sidewalks, crossings, bridges, and which were sprinkled and shaded. Dur- 
ing the year fifty-five new cottages were erected in the town, beside the business 
buildings and hotel, and a new era of growth was thus fairly inaugurated. 



V- 



The year of 1887 was the most phenomenal period in the history of this 
•state. Santa Monica was not behind the other sections of Southern California 
m the real estate craze that beset the old settler and the " tenderfoot " alike. 
In January, L. T. Fisher, the former owner and editor of the Santa Monica 
Outlook, which had so ably represented the town in its first sunnv davs, returned 
to his first love and began the publication of a new series of the Outlook, joining 
with him T. J. Spencer, an experienced printer. This paper furnished the 
medium through which the real estate agents of the vicinitv made their glowing 
announcements. One of the first firms to indulge in large' capitals and superla- 
tive adjectives was that of Tanner & Lewis— R. R. Tanner and " Tom " Lewis, 
both of whom are well known in the annals of Santa Monica. They advertised 
ni January "Bargains in Vawter tract. Central addition, Prospect Hill and 
•other localities." On March 3rd a " Great auction sale " of Santa Monica lots 
offered by the land company, took place. Of this sale the Outlook savs : " This 
valuable property will be sold on its merits. There ^vill be no free band, no 
free lunch, no free ride." In this connection, it continued: "The S. P. rail- 



170 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

way company are daily makings three trips between Los Angeles and Santa 
Monica, which shows the importance of the location. And yet this is a mere 
beginning-. Another party is after a franchise for a dummy road from Los 
Angeles to the ocean, to pass along the Cahuenga foothills. Another company 
has organized with a capital of $500,000 to construct an electric railway from 
Pasadena to the ocean. Their objective point on the coast is not yet announced, 
but Santa Monica is no doubt the place, as the conditions are favorable to this 
view. It should also be remembered that large capital is backing the enterprise 
of constructing an artificial harbor at a point about four miles south of this 
place. And there is still another improvement in prospect. This is a wharf 
in front of Santa Monica tO' be constructed by the Southern Pacific Company." 
I^ts to the amount of $42,000 were disposed of in this sale, which included prop- 
erty from Ocean avenue to Twentieth street, and a few weeks later another 
auction sale disposed of a still larger number of lots at prices ranging nearly 
double those of the first sale. 

On June 2nd occurred a " grand excursion and auction '", with Ben F. 
Ward orator of the day. This was " East Santa Monica " and prospective 
visitors were directed to bring their appetites and pocketbooks. The same 
month the " Santa Fe " tract, with " ocean view, street cars, water, and stone 
pavement ", was put on the market. This included fifty-three acres of land 
located in South Santa Monica and owned by Tanner & Lewis, purchased from 
the "Vawters for $53,000. The " Wave Crest '" and " Ocean Spray " tracts, also 
in South Santa Monica, were placed on the market about this time. Lots in 
these divisions brought as high as $1350, which to old settlers in Santa Monica 
seemed fabulous. But when it is remembered that these various tracts are 
now the site of Ocean Park district, the figures do not seem out of the way. 

One of the most important deals was the purchase for $55,575 of 247 acres 
of the Boca de Santa Monica, located on the bluff on the other side of " Old 
Santa Monica Cafion ", by a syndicate of which Abbot Kinney was the moving 
spirit. It was proposed to make this the " Nob Hill " district of Santa Monica. 
Streets were laid out, trees planted, the Santa Monica Outlook Railway was 
organized, with Kinney as president, Patrick Robinson, vice-president, James 
Bettner secretary and treasurer, to build a steam road from the Southern Pacific 
depot along the base of the bluff to the mouth of the canon and up a branch 
of the Santa Monica cafion to the " heights." Mr. Kinney was at that time 
secretary of the newly organized state board of forestry and offered to donate 
a site for a forestry station on the heights. The offer was accepted in Novem- 
ber, 1887, $5000 was set aside to be devoted to the experimental station and 
H. Rowland Lee was sent to take charge of the work. 

By August the " free lunch — free music " stage of auction sales had been 
reached, " round-trip fare fifty cents and twenty cars provided " for sales in 
the Ocean Spray and East Santa Monica tracts. Among other tracts of this 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 171 

time were the Crippen tract, the Arcadia and Van Every's addition, all of which 
were actively pushed. 

During this year the townsite of Palms was laid out, about five miles inland 
from Santa Monica, on the line of the Southern Pacific. The town of Sunset 
also sprang into existence. This was located on the Wolfskill ranch, which 
had been the old land grant of San Jose de Buenos Ayres. This tract of 4500 
acres had belonged to B. D. Wilson, who in 1865 mortgaged it for $6000. On 
this loan it passed into the hands of John Wolfskill, who during 1887 sold it 
to a svndicate for $440,000. A townsite and ten-acre tracts were laid out ; water 
was being developed ; a large hotel was planned and partially built ; even a news- 
paper was started. The " foothill " line, which was to reach the ocean in the 
vicinity of Santa Alonica canon was to cross the tract and a " grand boulevard " — 
that fair dream which has existed as a dream since the laying out of Santa 
Monica — was to be constructed from Los Angeles to the ocean, passing through 
the city of Sunset. 

An improvement which had a more substantial basis and which has been 
of great advantage to Santa Monica and Southern California, was set under 
way during the year. This was the location of a branch of the National Home 
for Disabled Veterans in this vicinity. The board of managers of the institution 
were on the coast to locate a site for a Pacific branch. They were induced to 
visit Southern California, where various propositions were laid before them. 
Judge Walter Van Dyke, acting for Messrs. Jones and Baker and the owners 
of the Wolfskill tract, offered 600 acres of land in the San Vicente and Buenos 
Ayres grants, together with other valuable considerations. This proposition 
was accepted and the announcement was made in November, 1887, that the 
present site had been selected. The news was received with rejoicing in Santa 
Monica, which thus became the nearest base of supplies for the home. 

Naturally such rapid advance in real estate values produced a rapid growth 
in the town and a demand for improvements to correspond. Early in February 
two applications for franchises to build street car lines were received by the 
board of trustees, one from O. G. Weiss and others of Los Angeles, the other 
by W. D. Vawter of Santa Monica. The latter was granted ; work was at once 
begun, and on June 19th the first car ran over the Ocean-avenue line and in 
the fall the extension was completed, on Utah avenue and Third streets, up Ari- 
zona to Seventh and on Seventh to Nevada. 

A franchise was also granted to a company which proposed to establish a 
gas plant and supply the town. This improvement, however, did not materialize 
and for years the only gas in the town was that manufactured by a private plant 
for the Arcadia Hotel, and two or three other private houses. The Ballona 
and Santa Monica railway was incorporated in 1887 to build a standard-gauge 
road from Ballona to Santa Monica, its board of directors being M. L. Wicks, 
J. Bernard, Jr., S. D. Northcutt, James Campbell and others. It was really an 




W. I. HULL. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 173 

offshoot of the Santa Fe line and through it, the Santa Fe obtained a right of 
way through South Santa Monica to a junction with the S. P. on Railroad 
street. Work was continued during the year on the Ballona harbor project, 
and it was still hoped that the Santa Fe might make a terminus either at Ballona 
or Santa Monica. 

Among the buildings of the year, John Steere erected a two-story brick 
block on the northeast corner of Utah and Third, with a frontage of 50 by JS 
feet. The second floor contained a large hall which for many years was known 
as " Steere's Opera House ", and which served as a theater and public meeting 
place. The older residents of Santa Monica can look back upon many festal 
occasions enjoyed within and recall the remarkable display of stuffed birds which 
adorned its walls. Several other business blocks and a number of residences 
were built during the vear. St. Augustine's Episcopal church was erected and 
the Catholic church at Palms was built. 

The Fourth of July this year was celebrated with a great deal of enthusiasm, 
a large crowd gathering to witness the proceedings and the Hon. Abbot Kinney 
delivering the address of the day. The flower festival in Los Angeles was a 
most pleasing and novel attraction. The Santa ^lonica booth, prepared by 
Mr. T\ler, jNIrs. Chapin and other ladies of the town, was a representation of 
Santa Monica, with wharf and ship, made of flowers, and attracted a great 
deal of attention and praise as the most beautiful exhibit in the festival. In 
August the Lawn Tennis Association was incorporated and grounds were se- 
cured and laid out on Third street. The first tournament of the Southern Cali- 
fornia Tennis Association took place on these grounds and was a great success, 
closing with a grand ball at the new opera house. 



The year of 1888 was one of prosperity and advancement. While real 
estate movements were not so rapid nor so sensational as in the previous year 
and some of the wild schemes fell through, much solid and permanent develop- 
ment went on. 

One of the most important indications of the change from village to city 
was the formation of a bank, the directors being mostly local capitalists. The 
First National Bank of Santa Monica was organized in January, with G. H. 
Bonebrake of Los Angeles, president ; John Steere, vice-president ; E. J. Vawter, 
cashier; G. S. Van Every, John Steere, Nathan Ikmdy, H. C. Baggs, G. H. 
Bonebrake, W. S. and E. J. A'awter, directors. It opened for business in ^larch 
in the Central building on Third street and at once began to plan for a hand- 
some building of its own. In April the contract was let for the erection of 
Senator Jones" r.ew home on a block that had been reserved in the original town 
plat as a hotel site. This house was to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and 
tile fact that the senator had selected Santa Monica as a permanent home went 



174 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

far toward insuring the future of the place, as the Jones interests were still the 
cloininant factor in the town. The Santa Monica Improvement Company was 
organized this year with Ahbot Kinney, P. Robertson and Thomas Rhodes as 
the controlling committee. This association at once began work in improving 
the grounds of the lawn tennis courts and in erecting the " Casino '" on Third 
street. This was a substantial and beautiful club house, costing some $6000 
and for many }ears was the center of much social gayety and the scene of many 
festivities. 

In April, after a rather lively contest, three new trustees were elected, 
Thomas A. Lewis, Thomas Rhodes and J. J. Carrillo, the latter of wdiom served 
as trustee continuously until 1900 — twelve years. The new board organized 
with W. S. Vawter president, and at once began a vigorous campaign for the 
improvement of streets. Before the end of the year active work had been begun 
and contracts let for the grading, curbing and graveling of streets to the amount 
of $23,000 while over $30,000 had been expended, or called for, in the putting 
down of cement sidewalks. The present day population owes much to the board 
of trustees of 1888-89 who, in the face of much opposition from people who 
thought the town would be bankrupted forever l)y such extravagance, and in 
the face of many difficulties, persisted in making the streets of Santa Monica 
the best thoroughfares in the country. 

Railroad schemes were always on the tapis and hopes for rapid transit were 
afforded abundant material for building upon. The Outlook of July i8th talks 
cheerfully of the situation : " Santa Monica has excellent railroad accommoda- 
tions. The S. P. trains now make four round trips on week days and six on 
Sundays. The round-trip fare is 75 cents except on Sundays when it is 50 cents. 
. . . The Los Angeles County Railroad will in a short time have another 
route completed to Sonta Monica. The entire distance is now graded and the 
material and rolling stock is now on hand. This road starts from the terminus 
of the Temple street cable road in Los Angeles and skirts along the foothills, 
running over a most charming route and passing close to the Soldiers' Home. 
And yet this is not the end. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, which is now 
within five or six miles of this place, promises to extend its line to Santa Monica 
in the near future. The company already has a right of w^ay along Lucas 
avenue in South Santa Monica and have graded a short section to hold their 
franchise. Nor does this close the programme. A rapid transit road is in pros- 
pect which will start from some eligible point in Los Angeles and, paralleling 
the Southern Pacific as far as The Palms, wall then cross to the south side, mak- 
ing a beeline for South Santa Monica." 

Of these projects, the Los Angeles county road, or the Los Angeles & 
Pacific road, as it was later known, which was capitalized by Los Angeles men, 
completed its track to Santa Monica and in 1889 went into operation. But its 
career was short-lived. On January 29th, 1889. its first passenger train came 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 175 

into Santa Monica and was greeted with enthusiasm; the officers, E. E. Hall, 
president, S. W. Luitweiler, vice-president, R. C. Shaw, superintendent, and 
Cornelius Cole, J. M. Hale, W. T. Spillnian and Arthur Gaylord, directors, being- 
on board. The road ran through Burbank, the Ostrich Farm at Kenilworth, 
Prospect Park, Hollywood, Cahuenga, Morocco, Sunset and Soldiers' Home, a 
distance of about 2^ miles. Its terminus in Santa Monica was on the bluff 
near Utah avenue. In September, 1889, it went into the hands of a receiver and 
in October all trains but one a day were taken off. Soon afterward the rolling 
stock was taken possession of by the creditors and one more disastrous failure 
was added to the wreckage of the " boom period." 

Late this year a Board of Trade was organized and at once began to take 
an active part in pushing the vital interests of the town, which at this particular 
time were generally conceded to be the building of a wharf and the completion 
of the new water system. Work had been begun on a new reservoir, new pipe 
was being laid and the Water Company, otherwise Jones & Baker, proposed to 
expend some $60,000 in providing a suitable water supply. The Santa Monica 
Mill Company's plant was put in operation this year at a cost of fuUv $25,000. 
The Cates block on Third street was put up at a cost of $10,000 and other build- 
ing improvements to the amount of about $100,000 made the town begin to 
assume the airs of a city. 

1889. 

The year 1889 opened with the burning of the Santa Monica Hotel which 
-occurred January 15th and was a complete loss on account of the insufficient 
supply of water. This swept away one of the oldest landmarks of the place, as 
the hotel was the first building erected, having been put up by Jones and Baker 
in the spring of 1875. It had been added to at various times and was valued 
at some $25,000. The proprietor, T. R. Bennington, lost heavily on his furni- 
ture, and Mrs. Senator Jones was a heavy loser of clothing and jewels. The 
place had had many ups and downs, having been " run " by many different par- 
ties, taken over for debt, and closed entirely during 1880-81. Till the building 
of the Arcadia it had been the best hotel of the town and had been enlivened by 
many gay and festive scenes. The Outlook, in a reminiscent mood, recalls: 
Jim ' Eastman, in his palmy days, used to drive there in his fine turnout and 
throw up one or two hundred at a whack for champagne and swell dinners. Led- 
\-ard and Bullock, the once noted financiers of the Temple and Workman Bank, 
et id omnes genus, would also come down periodically and indulge in a little 
hilarity and the disbursement of some of their easily gotten wealth." 

On February nth, the First National Bank moved into its new two-story 
building, which was handsomely fitted up for its purposes. This spring the 
Jones mansion was completed and the family moved in. It at once became a 
social center whose hospitality was enjoyed by many distinguished people from 



176 



HISTORY OF SANTA xMONICA BAY CITIES 



all parts of the world. Among- its first visitors were Senator Hoar, of Massa- 
chusetts, Senator Allison, of Iowa, and Governor and Mrs. Stoneman, who were 
entertained in a party by Mrs. Jones. 

One of the most exciting questions of the year was that of the proposed 
outfall sewer from Los Angeles which was to be discharged into the ocean in 
the neighborhood of the present site of Venice, the cit}' being vigorously cam- 
paigned for votes on the bonding proposition to build the outfall. Santa ]\Ionica 
citizens entered a decided protest against such a plan as destructive to their beach 
interests; meetings were held, the board of trustees and the Board of Trade 
passed vigorous resolutions and the town hired counsel to defend their rights. 
Citizens of Santa Monica attended anti-bond meetings in Los Angeles and took 

an active part in the fight. The question' 
was settled in October, for the time being, 
bv the defeat of the bond issue. 

During this year, the street railway, 
or the " mule line " as it w'as popularly 
known, was extended to Seventeenth 
street, thus giving the town four and a 
half miles of street railway. The drive- 
war to the Soldiers' Home was also com- 
])lete(l this year, a boulevard lOO feet 
wide, lined with trees set out under the 
supervision of Abbot Kinney, then road 
commissioner, and with four substantial 
bridges. It was proposed to complete 
this boulevard to Los Angeles, and a 
number of other roads were opened and' 
improved and set with shade trees about this time. 

The Soldiers' Home improvements were now fully under way and a num- 
ber of veterans had already been received. A brick kiln had been put into oper- 
ation in Santa Monica by Messrs. Sam Cripe and C. F. Geltner, which supplied 
a large number of brick for the new buildings on the Soldiers' Home grounds. 
A franchise was secured to Imild a street railway from the terminus of the Yaw- 
ter line at Seventeenth street to the Home and this line was put into operation 
in 1890. 

Among the social events of the year may he chronicled the visit of Senator 
Hearst, who was entertained l)y the I'.oard of Trade and of Fanny Davenport, 
who was so delighted with Santa Monica that she purchased a cottage and 
announced her intention of passing her old age here. The Polo Club, Tennis 
Association and a race course provided amusement for sport lovers. The town 
now had five chrrches, and amono- the man\- church entertainments th.' Floral 




SANTA MONICA HOTEL. 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 177 

Festival, held in the new Presbyterian church, was an event that Hngers in the 
memory of participants and beholders. 

One of the most magnificent of the many hopeful prospects of the year was 
the apparent certaint}- that this place had been chosen as the site for one of the 
largest Catholic schools in the country. In September it was announced that 
the Sisters of St. Joseph, a St. Louis order, had made arrangements with 
Messrs. Crippen. who were to donate a tract of twenty-two acres of the East 
Santa Monica tract for the location of a large school. Mr. John F. Hogan, who 
had been instrumental in bringing the Sisters to this location, reported that 
work would at once be begun on a building. The Outlook of September 25th 
says: " Heretofore rumor said that at least $350,000 would be expended upon 
the building alone, with a possible increase to $500,000. But it seems that 
even these figures are too small. The Mother Superior is so captivated with 
the location that she thinks the Sisters may decide to spend over a million 
before the improvements shall have been completed." December nth, it is 
announced that the final arrangements for the location of the Catholic College 
at Santa JNIonica have been completed and Mother General Agatha, of St. Louis, 
drove the first stake in the grounds, which " is the beginning of a series of 
dedicatory services that will close with the final imposing ceremonial that will 
be held at the completion of the grand edifice." The final grand dedicatorial 
service has not yet taken place: Sister Agatha seems to have been too 
enthusiastic. 

The Outlook of January 8th, 1890, says: "The popularity of Santa 
Monica as a seaside resort is shown by the large travel over the Southern 
Pacific and the L. A. & P. railroads. After careful estimates bv the agent we 
find the Southern Pacific brought 200,000 visitors to the beach during tlie year. 
To this must be added about a fourth as many for the L. A. & P. during the 
time. Then there were thousands who cam'e bv private convevance ''The 
highest number of visitors on any one day was on the first Sunday of the bal- 
loon ascension, when the crowd was estimated at 12.000. When Los An-ele. 
shall have doubled her population (as she will within a few years) and'' the 
hues of railway have quadrupled, and the fare been reduced to one-half, it is 
easy to imagine what an immense crowd will visit this beach each week." 

It is interesting to note that all of the above predictions have been ful- 
filled long ago, except the reduction in railway fare. 

Thr Wharf FiOHT.-During the eighties the question of a wharf at 
.Santa Momca was considered the most vital one of all that presented them- 
selves. The people, the trustees, the Board of Trade, the contributors to the 
papers, and above all the editor of the Outlook, discussed this question in all 
Its phases. The Outlook alternated between arguments to prove the necessity 
•m<l tlie i,rohts to be accrued from building a wharf; schemes for the building 
12 



178 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

of a wharf and discourses upon the advisabiUty of a harbor, or a breakwater, 
at Santa Monica. 

The first tangible step toward wharf building was the application, in Feb- 
ruary, 1887, of the Southern Pacific for a franchise to build a wharf at the foot 
of Railroad street, where the old wharf had stood. This was a direct result 
of the efforts to establish a " harbor " at Ballona, which were backed by the 
Santa Fe. But as the harbor of Ballona failed to threaten their San Pedro 
business, the S. P. application lay dormant. When it became evident that the 
railroad company would do nothing, more talk followed and in December it 
was announced that Mr. Bernard, who had still the stump of his wharf, built 
in '79 at South Santa Monica, had formed a company of capitalists who 
would rebuild that structure. A committee was sent to San Francisco to inter- 
view the railway people and the Outlook declares : " There is hardly any 
ground for doubt that we shall have a wharf within the next six months. . . . 
It is one of the anomalies of business that the old Santa Monica wharf was 
destroyed, not because it didn't pay, but because it did pay. That is to sav, it 
paid the shipper and traveler and would have paid the railroad company had 
they not been interested at Wilmington and San Pedro." 

February ist, 1888, Geo. S. Van Every and T. A. Lewis, two well known 
residents of Santa Monica, made an application for a franchise to build a 
wharf at the foot of Bicknell avenue. At the next meeting of the city trustees 
a petition was presented by the Santa Monica Wharf Company, signed by forty- 
five citizens, asking that an election be called for the purpose of submitting the 
question of voting $10,000 bonds to be given to the company on the comple- 
tion of the wharf according to the franchise asked by Messrs. Van Every and 
Lewis. The discussions and public meetings that followed this action were 
lively and some warm language must have been used, for a few weeks later 
the following note was published : " To the Honorable Board of Trustees of 
the town of Santa Monica. Gents : Whereas we hear it talked by divers per- 
sons that the proposition to vote $10,000 subsidy to the ' Santa Monica Wharf 
and Shipping Company ' was simply a scheme to extort and obtain money from 
the said town for personal purposes ; and, whereas, from the said talk, we are 
advised and believe that the decision will be against us, therefore we beg to 
withdraw our proposition to construct a wharf and here announce that we will 
have nothing to do with the matter; but would recommend that the town vote 
bonds necessary to build and maintain a wharf of its own. George S. Van 
Every, T. A. Lewis." 

After more discussion and public meetings, it was generally agreed that 
it would be feasible for the town to vote bonds for a wharf; but this scheme 
was decided by the city attorney to be illegal and, notwithstanding their little 
" defi," Messrs. Van Every and Lewis again came to the front with an appli- 
cation for a franchise, which was granted, to build a wharf at the foot of Front 



HISTORY OF SANTA lAIONICA BAY CITIES 179 

street. Mr. Van Every started north to investigate the cost of piles and the 
Outlook ventured a cautious blast of triumph — with strings on it. Past expe- 
rience was beginning to tell. After which there is an ominous quiet on the 
subject of a wdiarf until the organization of the Board of Trade in December, 
1888, which began an immediate agitation of the subject. The " Wharf Com- 
mittee " reported in favor of organizing a stock company, which proposition 
was at once acted upon. Papers for subscriptions were circulated, the Los 
Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade were entertained by the 
Santa Monica Board of Trade and, incidentally, urged to subscribe. More 
public meetings, more discussion, pro and con. But at last sufficient stibscrip- 
tions were obtained to warrant the incorporation of the '' Santa Monica ^Vharf 
Company." July 13th " Critic " in the Outlook writes a sharp letter in which 
he objects to the acts of the committee in electing itself as directors of the new 
company and immediately demanding an assessment of 40 per cent from sub- 
scribers. He also demands where the wharf is to be built and who is to decide 
that important question. 

Another lull followed while the question of the outfall sewer and an occa- 
sional editorial as to the " harbor " seemed to occupy the attention of Santa 
Monicans. But in December, Mr. J. B. Dunlap appeared before the board of 
trustees, representing " capitalists " — that magic quantity — and asked what 
subsidy Santa Monica was prepared to give for a wharf. This question led to 
the proposition that the town vote bonds for a sewer system and then pay a 
wharf company to carry their sewer out to sea. After much legal lore had 
been expended, it w^as decided that this might — or might not — be done. 

After which matters seem to have simmered until ]\Iarch, 1890, when the 
Outlook indulges in this mysterious language : " There is music in the air ! 
Glad tidings float on the breeze. Rumor says Santa Monica is to have a 
wharf! Our people generally beHeve it. So does the Outlook. We are not 
at liberty to enter into details, as everything is not beyond the possibility of 
failure. There is every reason to believe, however, that our wharf scheme, for 
which the Outlook and many zealous residents of Santa Monica have so striven, 
will be a most gratifying success, at an early day, and that, too, in a shape more 
satisfactory than any of us have dared hope for." 

At a public meeting of the subscribers to the " wharf fund " held May 6th, 
Messrs. L. R. Vincent, D. E. Bancroft and W. D. Vawter were elected com- 
missioners to act for the subscribers, and S. W. Euitweiler, representing the Los 
Angeles & Pacific Railroad, was present w4th a proposition. In June articles 
of incorporation for a new wharf company were filed. This was the " Santa 
Monica Wharf and Railway Terminal Company," the incorporators being J. 
A. Stanwood, E. E. Hall, Elwood Chaffey, Arthur Gayford and W. L. Cor- 
son; the capital stock fixed at $300,000, $80,000 of which had been subscribed. 
" The company have acquired an ocean frontage of about a mile and a half and 



180 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

a lar^je tract of land" (the present site of Ocean Park and A>nice). In the 
meantime many rumors were afloat as to the intentions of the Southern Pacific 
Company, which had again sent representatives to Santa Monica and looked 
at the old stump which still represented past commercial importance. During 
1890 the town was in a fever of expectation as to the possibilities of the South- 
ern Pacific action and the probability of the Santa Monica Wharf and Railway 
Terminal Company actually doing something. But after waiting until the 
spring of 1*^01 for some tangible signs of fulfillment, the citizens again took a 
hand. In May a petition signed by about a hundred citizens was presented to 
the board of trustees requesting them to call an election to determine the ques- 
tion of issuing bonds for the construction of a wharf. After a full and enthu- 
siastic discussion of this project by the trustees and the citizens, the matter 
was put to vote and was defeated by the vote of two trustees. Another meet- 
ing was called and some very hot language was used ; a new petition was pre- 
pared, urging the trustees to respect the wishes of the citizens ; but the two 
obdurate members remained firm and again the petition was denied. The 
excitement ran high and the feeling against the two trustees was very bitter 
in some quarters. 

The following emphatic words expressed the feeling of the editor of the 
Outlook. " We haven't voted any bonds for a wdiarf at Santa Monica, nor has 
any person or persons agreed to build one ; yet when a location is mentioned 
for a wharf, it is like shaking a red rag at a mad bull. If there is any one 
thing that some Santa Alonicans can do better than anything else, it is getting 
up a raging opposition when something is proposed upon which all should 
agree. If a man started out tomorrow with a pocket full of twenty-dollar gold 
pieces, some ' chronic ' would start a howl of opposition because the right per- 
son, in his opinion, had not been selected to make the distrilnition." 

But the question of building a wharf and of selecting a location was at 
last settled, without regard to the opposition or opinions of Santa Monicans. 
On August I St, 1891, the Southern Pacific Engineering Corps began a survey 
in " old " Santa Monica canyon, and it was definitely known that C. P. Hunt- 
ington had decided on a wharf for Santa Monica. Thus ended the history of 
the agitation for a wharf. 

John J. Carrillo. — There is no better known figure in Santa Monica 
than that of John T. Carrillo, at present Police Judge of the citv. He is a 
native son — the son and the grandson of native sons, and lielongs to one of the 
oldest and best known families of California. He is a descendant of Jose 
Raymundo Carrillo, a native of Loreto, who came to California in I/^m). Of 
him l^>ancroft says: "He may l)e regarded as the founder of the Carrillo fam- 
ilv, which must be considered in several respects the leading one in California, 
bv reason of the number and prominence of its members and of their connec- 
tion bv marriage with so many of the best families, both native and pioneer." 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 181 

Captain Carrillo married Tomasa Ignacia Lugo and their sons, Carlos, Jose 
and Domingo, were among the most prominent citizens of the Mexican period 
of CaHfornia history. Their only daughter, Maria Antonia, married Captain 
Jose de la Guerra y Noriega, one of the most brilliant figures in Santa Barbara 
history. 

Carlos Antonio Carrillo, grandfather of Juan J., was born at Santa Bar- 
bara in 1783. He began life as a soldier and was engaged in many military 
afi^airs. In 1830 he was elected a member of the Mexican Congress and worked 
earnestly for the interests of his country and the preservation of the missions. 
One of his speeches, "El Exposicion sobre el Fondo Piadoso " was the first 
production of a native Californian. printed in book form. In 1837, his brother 
Jose Antonio, who was an active politician, secured for Carlos an appointment 
as governor of California, with the privilege of locating the capital of the state 
at his pleasure. In consequence of this document, the original of which is now 
in the possession of Mr. Juan J. Carrillo, Senor Carlos Carrillo chose Los 
Angeles as capital and was inaugurated there with an elaborate ceremony — the 
only time that Los Angeles was ever made the capital. The distinction was 
short-lived, however, as Governor Alvarado refused to recognize the authority 
of his Uncle Carlos and after a brief and bloodless military campaign, Don 
Carlos retired from the field. He was the grantee of the Sespe Rancho and 
of Santa Rosa Island. He died in 1852. Bancroft says of him: "In person 
Don Carlos, like most of his brothers and cousins, was large and of magnifi- 
cent presence, distinguished for his courteous and gentlemanly manners. In 
all California there was no more kind-hearted, generous, popular and inofifen- 
sive citizen than he." His wife was Josefa Castro: his sons, Jose, Pedro C. 
and Jose Jesus; his daughters, Josefa, wife of Wm. J. Dana: Encarnacion, 
wife of Thomas Robbins ; Francisca, wife of A. B. Thompson : INIanuela, wife 
of John C. Jones, and Maria Antonia, wife of Lewis Burton. 

Pedro C. Carrillo, father of Juan J., was born in Santa Barbara and was 
educated in Honolulu and Boston. On his return to California he took an act- 
ive part in affairs, filling various offices in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and 
being the grantee of Alamos y Agua Caliente, Camulos ranchos and San Diego 
island. During the American conquest, he favored the Americans and was 
active in their behalf. In 1847 he was the guide who led a messenger from 
Stockton to Fremont through the enemy's country. He was made receiver of 
the port of San Diego, after the American occupation and later served as 
receiver of port at Santa Barbara and at San Pedro. He spent the last years 
of his life in Santa Monica and died here May 28th, 1888. His wife was Josefa 
Bandini, a sister of Mrs. Arcadia de Baker and the oldest one of the famous 
Bandini sisters. It was she who made the American flag which was used by 
Commodore Stockton at San Diego — the first American flag raised in South- 
ern California. 



182 HISTORY OF SANTA lAIONICA BAY CITIES 

Juan J. Carrillo was born in Santa Barbara, September 8tb, 1842. Wben 
he was ten vears old he was sent with a party of bo3's, sons of Californians, to 
New York, making- the trip around the Isthmus of Panama in charge of a 
priest, who placed the youths in a private family in New York City. The 
woman in charge proved to be a fraud, and the boys were taught nothing and 
were badly treated in every way, until an old friend of Mr. Carrillo's father 
discovered them. Then Juan and his brother were removed to the College of 
the Holy Cross at Worcester, Mass., near Boston. Here they remained six 
years, returning to California in 1858. 

Tn 1864 Mr. Carrillo came to Los Angeles and entered the store of Caswell, 
Ellis and Wright, then one of the largest establishments in the state. He re- 
mained with this firm for 14 years, then served for four years as city marshal 
of I. OS Angeles. Tn 1881 he located in Santa Monica and has since that date 
been intimately associated with the history of this place. He acted for a time as 
agent for the Baker interests in this vicinity and has been instrumental in se- 
curing many valuable concessions for the city. For instance, in 18S4 Mrs. Baker 
deeded the site of Woodlawn cemetery to him and he in turn, without compen- 
sation, deeded the same to the city. In 1888 he was elected as city trustee and 
for twelve years thereafter he was re-elected regularly, thus serving the city 
longer than any other trustee ever chosen. During this time he was for seven 
years, from i8qo to 1897, president of the board and thus acting- mayor of the 
city. During his entire service he gave much time and energy to city affairs 
and Santa Monica has never had a more disinterested and honest official. In 
1888 he took an active part in the contest made by Santa Monica against the 
proposed outfall sewer of Los Angeles, with its discharge on the beach between 
what is now Pier avenue and Venice. Mr. Carrillo personally canvassed the 
Ballona district and secured the signatures of the property owners to a protest 
against this action and to an agreement which prevented Los Angeles from 
securing the proposed right of way for the sewer. When the first board of trade 
was organized in 1888, Mr. Carrillo was chosen as secretary, an office which he 
filled for seven years. Lie was one of the active movers in the efforts to secure 
a wharf and a sewer system, and has always been a strong advocate of good 
roads and parks. During his service on the board of trustees he accomplished 
much toward securing improved roads and streets. Old citizens have not for- 
gotten the long and weary fight he made to secure the road to Calabasas in 
January, 1897. After his retirement from the council he served two years as 
superintendent of streets, from 1904 to 1906. 

In personal appearance and in character Mr. Carrillo is a worthy son of his 
ancestors, indeed, the description of his grandfather might ap])ly with ef|ual 
truth to himself. Honorable in all his dealings, generous to a fault and kind- 
hearted, even to his enemies, probably no man in Santa Monica commands a 
more sincere regard. Lie was married, ( )ctober "th, i86(;, to Miss Francisca 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES i83 

Roldan, a woman of great beauty of character and person. She died in Los 
Angeles March 2nd, 1897, and her funeral here in Santa Monica was a rare testi- 
monial of the love and respect which were felt for her and her family. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carrillo had 13 children, of whom are now living Elisa, Mrs. 
Eliza Lopez ; Atala, Mrs. A. H. Calkins ; Diana, Mrs. Will Holton ; of the sons, 
Ygnacio is a well-known dentist, practicing in Los Angeles ; Eulogio is assistant 
engineer on the Southern Pacific ; Leopold, or Leo, as he is more familiarly 
known, is traveling in the east, where his talents as a monologist and caricaturist 
have given him distinction. One son, Charles, died in Santa Monica, April ist, 
1905, and die youngest son, Octavio, is now in the employ of the Southern Pa- 
cific. In 1904 Mr. Carrillo married a second time, Mrs. Eva Fellner, an accom- 
plished and beautiful woman. 








W. S. VAWTER. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Growth. 1890-1900. 

NATURALLY, Santa Monica shared in the reaction which followed the 
too rapid expansion of 1887-88; but she did not suffer the collapse which 
followed in many sections of Southern California. She was in no sense 
a " boom "' town and aside from some speculation in South Santa jNIonica prop- 
erty and some rather previous raihvay schemes, her growth had been a natural 
result of her advantages and it continued during the new decade with a steady 
forward movement which gave a solid basis for the marvelous prosperity of her 
later history. 

The population of the town, as shown by the census of 1890, was 1580, an 
increase of over 400 per cent, above the population of 1880, The assessed 
valuation of the town, which under the inflated values of 1887 had been swelled 
to $2,405,0-18, dropped back to $1,565,773 in 189T. Since that date, however, 
the annual assessments have shown a remarkably even and healthy increase up 
to the present time. 

One of the most important events of the year 1890 was the completion of 
the street car line to the Soldiers' Home. This line ran out Nevada street and 
was formally opened to the public April 3rd, with a special trip followed by a 
banquet at the Hotel Arcadia, where many complimentary things w^ere said of 
W. D. Vawter, whose enterprise had provided the town with a street car service 
extending from the southern limits of the city to the Soldiers' Home. The 
route from the railroad bridge was along (Dcean avenue to Utah, on Utah to 
Third, thence on Third to Nevada avenue, which leads in a direct line to the 
Soldiers' Home, a distance oi three miles. This boulevard had already been 
improved and adi^rned with handsome shade trees. All " old timers " retain 
many recollections of this line which, for a numl)er of years, was the only means 
■oi communication with the home and which was only superseded bv the present 
electric line in 1905. 

There was a strong feeling that Santa Monica was now sufftciently urban 
to support an electric light system and applications for franchises for this pur- 
pose were made by two different parties ; one was granted to Messrs. H. M. 
Russell and H. A. Winslow, but they were apparently not able to " make good " 
tit this time. 

In February, W. S. Vawter was appointed postmaster to succeed Miss Mag- 
gie Finn, who had held the office during the past four vears. ]Manv people yet 



186 HISTORY OF SANTA xAlONICA BAY CITIES 

recall their astonishment when, on going- for their mail on the morning of April 
1st, 1890, to the old location on Second street, where the postoffice had been for 
years, they found no postoffice there. During the previous night the change of 
administration had unexpectedly taken place and the postoffice had been moved 
to its new quarters in the bank building on Third street. The new offices were 
fitted up temporaril}-, but within a few weeks were supplied with the latest style 
of boxes and conveniences and was then counted as being one of the best equipped 
postoffices in the county. It was presided over at this time by " Johnny '' Sum- 
merfield, who made a genial deputy postmaster. 

In April, 1890, the new board of trustees, after the election of Messrs. John 
Steere and J. L. Allen, was made up of these two with J. J. Carrillo, who was 
elected president of the board, a position which he ably filled for seven years, 
T. L. Tewis and E. J. Vawter. E. K. Chapin was re-elected treasurer, M. 
K. Barretto was marshal and H. E. Pollard town clerk. The matter of licenses 
aroused a good deal of discussion this year, as many objected to the plan of 
licensing business houses at all, and others thought the licenses altogether more 
than the traffic could bear. But, in spite of much pressure, the new board made 
few changes and continued the liquor license at $300 per year, only making an 
effort to limit the number of saloons to ten. 

Messrs. Jones and Baker this year deeded the bluff and the city park to the 
town, on condition that they be kept up as public parks, A large number of streets 
were graded, graveled and sidewalked. The question of providing for some 
disposition of the sewage was also agitated and a solution was thought to be 
offered to that and the wharf problem which so troubled the town. But after 
much talk, legal advice was sought and, in view of the later developments, the 
following" extracts may be of interest : " In order that there might be no un- 
certainty in the matter, the town attorney was instructed to employ assistant 
counsel. This was done and two opinions were read before the board and a 
number of citizens on Monday night, one from R. F. H. Variel, the other from 
Messrs. Edgerton & Blades. Shorn of all unnecessary verbiage, the opinions 
were based upon the proposition, can the town authorities of Santa ^Monica 
legally submit to the voters, at an election called for that purpose, the proposi- 
tion of voting $40,000 in bonds for the ostensible purpose of constructing a 
sewer system, having its outlet in the ocean, but really for the purpose of aiding 
a private corporation in building a wharf? This proposition was ably argued 
by the gentlemen and the}' very properly came to the conclusion that the city's 
fimds could not be legally expended in that way." 

In Xovember the ladies of the W. C. T. U., who had maintained a public 
reading room and library since 1886, offered to turn their library of 800 volumes 
over to the city, provided the city would maintain it as a public library. The 
]^roposition was accc])ted and the Santa Monica ]nil)lic lil)rary was thus established. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 187 

189T 

This is a memorable year in Santa Monica annals for many reasons. It 
developed that the Southern Pacific had secured the right of way along the 
beach to the canon and purchased the Santa Monica Heii^hts tract. In the 
fall surveyors beg^an work and the company secured a franchise from the city 
to build a line under the bluff and to build a wharf, within one year, under a 
$Sooo forfeit. At the same time the Santa ^lonica Wharf and Railway Ter- 
minal Company was applying for a franchise to build a wharf at South Santa 
Monica and offered to put up a tract of thirteen acres of land as indemnity. 
This oft'er was received with a good deal of derision at the time, as the land 
was supposed to be utterly useless " sand dunes." The Los Angeles and Pacific 
road had been revived — to a certain extent — and was also endeavoring to secure 
a franchise to build a wharf ; but the $5000 forfeit demanded by the board of 
trustees seemed to put a damper upon their wharf ambitions. With so many 
propositions coming- before it, the board of trustees had some very lively sessions, 
especially as there were strong- objections to everything- proposed and much 
" kicking " at the meetings and through the papers. The harbor ciuestion also 
demanded more or less attention and the board of trustees and board of trade 
were prompt to act whenever an opportunity presented itself. 

In October H. M. Russell and H. A. Winslow, two enterprising citizens of 
Santa Monica, again applied for a franchise for an electric light plant, which 
was at once granted them. They took steps to carry out their plans and made 
a beginning toward this important improvement. 

Among the business buildings of the year was the Bryson block on the 
corner of Utah avenue and Second street, which was erected at a cost of some 
$15,000. Other buildings were the handsome home of Dr. Elliott, a Minneapolis 
capitalist, on the corner of Nevada and Fifth and the homes of Dr. Place and 
J. L. Allen. In January, 1891, Mr. Frederick Rindge visited Santa Monica and 
was so pleased with the place that he purchased two lots on Ocean avenue and 
soon thereafterward began the erection of a residence which cost some $12,000 
and was occupied for a number of years by his family as a home. At the same 
time he began making other investments in this locality and in 1892 purchased 
the Malibu ranch of H. W. Keller and at once built a handsome residence and 
made substantial improvements on this fine property. 

1892. 

The year of 1892 was a prosperous one. The reaction after the depression 
of the past two or three years had set in here, although this was generally a 
season of depression in the state. The Southern Pacific pushed its improve- 
ments and work was well under way on the long wharf before the close of the 
year. It is estimated that their expenditures in the vicinity of Santa Monica 
for the year were not less than $200,000. The Santa Fe also came in during 



188 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



the vcar and spent considerable money in making' improvements in South Santa 
Monica. A large amount of money was also expended at the Soldiers' Home 
in putting up new buildings and improving the water service. These large sums 
put into circulation, of course, meant much to the merchants and the working 
men of Santa Monica. The Keller block on the corner of Third and Utah was 
planned and partially built, at a cost of $25,000. The Windemere and the Para- 
dise, both intended as first-class family hotels, were built during the year. 

During the summer there were no vacant houses and tennis, polo and cricket 
games and tournaments were attractions which drew many visitors. On June 
i8th the Santa Fe trains reached Santa Monica and the event was duly cele- 
brated. The road at 
once put on seven 
trains daily and made 
a round-trip fare of 
seventy -five cents. 
The Outlook esti- 
mates that in July 
fully 5000 people 
came to Santa Monica 
on one Sunday. In 
September the fare 
to Santa Monica was 
d r o p p e d to fifty 
cents, the result of 
competition. The Los 
Angeles and Pacific 
road w^as not yet 
dead and many rumors were rife about it during the season. It had now 
passed into the hands of the Terminal Company and great things were promised 
from it. 




NORTH THIRD STREET. 



1893. 

In 1893 Messrs. W. D., W. S. and E. J. A'awter sold their interest in " The 
First National Bank of Santa Monica " to Senator Jones and the bank passed 
under the new administration, with Robert F. Jones president and cashier. It 
was soon afterward made a state bank under the name of the " Bank of Santa 
Monica." During the panic of July, 1893, this bank was undisturbed and it 
has since that time enjoyed the favor of Santa Monicans. The Keller block 
wdien completed was one of the largest and handsomest structures in Santa 
Monica. The upper stories were opened as a first-class hotel, while J. B. Folsom 
and \V. T. Gillis occupied the large storerooms below. The \'awter block on 
Third street was completed in September. This was a one-story block, hand- 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 189 

sonielv finished, to be used as the ofBcc of the Santa Monica Commercial Com- 
pany, the Santa Monica Mill and Lumber Company and the Santa Monica and 
Soldiers' Home Company, all of which were Vawter interests. The Santa Mon- 
ica soda plant was a new establishment of this year, under the management of 
Carl F. Schader and Jesse Yoakum. One of the most substantial improvements 
was the erection of the handsome residence on the corner of Ocean avenue and 
Arizona by Mrs. Doria Jones, now the Elks' club house. The North Beach 
Bath House Compau}- was incorporated in December by the Jones interests to 
build the North lieach bath house and pavilion. This establishment when finished 
was one of the most complete in equipment in the country. July 1st the Arcadia 
was opened under new management, having been closed for a yeai or more. 
Before opening it was thoroughly renovated and refitted, some $10,000 being 
spent in bringing it up to date. 

A special election was called for ]\ larch 21st to vote upon the question of 
lionding the town to the amount of $40,000 for the construction of a sewer 
system. The canq^aign elicited a good deal of discussion and considerable feel- 
ing, if we may judge by this letter which the Outlook published, wath a dignified 
repl}- : 

" Messrs. Fisher & Woodworth : There is an understanding on the streets 
that if you publish to malign any one who votes against bonds, your press will 
be taken and throwed into the sea and your papers, public and private, will be 
taken for a bonfire." 

Notwithstanding the talk the vote cast was light and stood 148 against and 
only 84 for, thus disposing of the sewer question for the time being. But the 
" sewer question " is one which will not down for long in Santa Monica, and 
it continued to be a subject of interest — and contention. In Jime J. J. Davis 
of Los Angeles applied for a franchise for electric light plant, agreeing to pay 
therefor $25.00 annually for fifty years. September loth electric lights were 
turned on the street for the first time, twelve incandescent lights being furnished. 

The year was prolific in " gala " days. July 4th was celebrated with unusual 
vigor, speeches, bands and amusements of every kind being provided and the 
largest crowds ever known in the history of Santa ^^lonica being ])resent, esti- 
niated at from ten to fifteen thousand. The visit of A'ice-President Stevenson 
was duly noted. In October the new restaurant on the big " long wharf " was 
<i]:)ened with an elaborate banquet. 

i8<;4. 

This was a comparatively quiet year. The great strikes and the general 
depression in the east caused a cessation of large investments and no railroad 
extensions of account were made. After a very exciting contest Messrs. Robert 
F. Jones and Norman A. Roth were elected trustees, while ]\Iessrs. Carrillo, 
V^awter ;uid Lewis held over. Mr. Robert F. Jones served continrorslv as 



190 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

trustee from this time until 1902 and after 1896 was president of the board and 
acting mayor of the town. 

The most im])ortant improvement of the year was the North Beach bath 
house, which was opened to the pubhc in the spring. This building was 450 
bv 100 feet and was provided with a large plunge, elegantly furnished parlor, 
ballroom, hot and cold salt water bath, two dining rooms, roof garden, etc. ; the 
whole structure represented an outlay of $50,000 and was at the time the most 
complete establishment of the kind on the Pacific coast. The electric light plant 
was completed during the year and was considered one of the best in the country, 
furnishing satisfactory service at very reasonable rates. The water company 
expended some $15,000 in improving its service and the Outlook estimates that 
about two hundred thousand dollars represented the cost of improvements which 
included a large number of residences. 

1895. 

The year 1895 opened with a flurry of excitement over the treatment the 
harbor question and Santa Monica were receiving from the Los Augclcs Herald. 
This paper had at first been an able advocate of the Santa Monica side of the 
harbor question; but during 1894 it passed under new management and at once 
changed front and began making most unjustifiable attacks upon this town, Port 
Tos Angeles and the Southern Pacific Company. On Wednesday evening, Jan- 
uary 23rd, one of the most exciting meetings ever held in Santa Monica took 
place under the auspices of the board of trade. The resolutions passed will 
show the bitterness which had been engendered by the " harbor fight." 

" Whereas, on numerous occasions, a morning paper published in the city 
of Los Angeles, has taken occasion to publish in its columns, as true, many false 
and misleading statements respecting the unfitness — as it falsely alleges — of 
Port Los Angeles for improvement by the general government as a deep-water 
harbor for the city of Los Angeles, and in support of its alleged unfitness has 
published communications containing false and defamatory statements in rela- 
tion to the efifect of storms in and upon the bay of Santa Monica, the wharf 
therein, the principal projector thereof, and the landing, loading and unloading 
of vessels thereat ; and has been endeavoring by fraud to induce Congress, with- 
out further examination or evidence, to make large appropriations and have them 
expended in what we believe to be useless attempts to make of the bay of vSan 
Pedro a safe, useful and valuable deep-water harbor. And whereas, it is falsely, 
maliciously and fraudulently asserted that ' the legislative delegation from South- 
ern California are (is) a unit for a deep-water harbor at San Pedro ', and ' only 
those who are controlled by the influences which emanate from the councils and 
cabals of C. P. Huntington ever attempt to combat the plain expression of public 
opinion ' — and ' only occult and venal influences can defeat the object of the 
present agitation.' And whereas, the said newspaper has recently published a 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 191 

communication on the harbor question (purporting- to be by a Santa Alonican) 
which is grossly false (as has been incontrovertibly shown). 

" Therefore, be it resolved, that the aforesaid editorials and communications 
which have from time to time appeared in the aforesaid paper are malicious 
libels of the bona fide residents of Santa Monica and others who advocate the 
superior fitness and claims of Santa Monica harbor as a site for a deep-water 
harbor and the people of Santa Monica are advised that the paper is unworthy 
of the support of the citizens of Santa Monica and the surrounding country." 

These resolutions were enforced by ringing and heated speeches from many 
citizens and were adopted with much applause. About this time occurred the 
famous episode of the " fake " list of Santa Monicans sent into this same paper 
which was getting up a memorial, signed by citizens. The initials of the ''faked " 
names, which were published in good faith by the paper in question spelled an 
acrostic — " The Fool Herald f It was this same petition in favor of San Pedro 
which, according to the Times, was made up after " mnch consultation from 
directories, compilation of acrostics and waste of editorial perspiration, and wa^ 
lost and not even the office cat could give any idea of its whereabouts."' The 
Herald claimed that it had been stolen, presumably by advocates of the Santa 
Monica side, and offered a reward ; later the document mysteriously reappeared : 
but the amonnt of influence it carried with it when finally delivered to the legis- 
lators probably did not seriously injure the Santa Monica side of the question. 

In March, the board of trade, which had done most efficient service in pro- 
tecting and promoting the interests of Santa Monica, took steps to incorporate 
as a chamber of commerce. The officers chosen under the new form were: 
President, Robert F. Jones ; secretary, J. J. Carrillo, who had continuously served 
as secretarv for the board of trade for seven years, without compensation ; treas- 
urer, W. T. Gillis. Numerous committees were named and action was at once 
taken to secure the encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic for the 
coming summer and to arrange for representation at the Los Angeles fiesta. The 
labors of the latter committee resulted in a beautiful floral float in the floral day 
parade of La Fiesta. 

In April the articles of incorporation of the Los Angeles and Santa Monica 
Electric Railwav Company were filed. The Outlook says: "This proposed 
line is separate and apart from the bicycle line road promoted by Maj. Barrett, 
which it is understood will be backed by abundant eastern capital. This rather 
unique style of road is to be operated upon a single rail with guard rail above. 
A similar line is now in operation on Long Island. It has a speed possibility 
far exceeding a mile a minute. The service is quick, safe and economical for 
both passengers and freight. Maj. Barrett claims that the company organiza- 
tion is complete and the right-of-w^ay agents will be in the field within thirty 
days.'-' There was considerable talk about this " bicycle railway " and some 
people really had hopes of speeding a mile a minute between Los Angeles and 



192 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Santa Monica. In Jime a petition was received from Gen. Sherman of the 
I'asadena and Pacific road asking for a franchise. But the trustees, having had 
a long- and trouhlesome experience with the Los Angeles and Pacific road, were 
wary of promises and denied this franchise ; hut in an amended form it was 
granted later and active work on the line hegan. Some alarm was felt among" 
merchants and dealers of the town lest the coming of the electric road should 
do them harm; hut the majority was largely in favor of the improvement. This 
year steps were taken to construct a wagon road across the mountains to the 
wilds of Calabasas and a good deal of talk was indulged in as to a bicycle path 
from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, which should develope into a " boulevard." 
Cyclemania was at its head during this period and for two or three summers 
the greatest event of the season was the annual road race on July fom-th from 
the city to Santa Monica. A bicycle race track was completed by the Southern 
Pacific with a grand stand which is described thus: " It lifts itself into the air 
and spreadeth itself over a great area. It vauntcth itself as greater by far than 
anything within 'steen vards, and it attracts as much attention as a bloomer club 
upon parade. It is in very fact a thing to be proud of and carries the prophecy 
of great races on the track and great crowds to see them and much comfort to 
many people.'' In order to induce the " great crowds " the Southern Pacific 
resorted to what were known as " postage stamp " tickets, entitling the holder 
to passage both ways and admission to the bicycle track for the regular price 
of the ticket. This created feeling on the part of the Santa Fe people and the 
S. P. responded that they had expended some $12,000 in building the track and 
if the Santa Fe people would bear half the expense, their tickets would be hon- 
ored also. The Santa Fe chose a less expensive way of retaliation. They 
dropped the round-trip fare between Los Angeles and Santa Monica to twenty- 
five cents and on Saturday and Sunday, October igth and 20th, 1895, the Santa 
Fe sold roimd-trip tickets for five cents. Certainly Santa Monicans had " reason- 
able rates " for once. 

The question of sewer l;onds was again submitted to the people this year 
and after some vigorous work on the p3.vt of the more progressive on September 
3rd the $40,000 bonds were voted by a majorit)- of seven to one, and thus the 
first steps in creating a sewer system were at last taken. 

.\mong other improvements of the vear was the building of a new jiavilion 
on th.e beach by Eckert and Hopf, the gentlemen who had probably banqueted 
more distinguished people than any other firm in Southern California; the build- 
ing of the Prohibition Congregational church and the plans for a Methodist 
church to be Iniilt by F. H. Rindge. On the Soutli Side, the Santa Fe Coniixmy 
were constructing their iron pipe wharf; the Young Men's Christian Association 
erected a j^avilion and a number of cottages ; and a number of other cottages and 
buildings were erected. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 193 

1896. 

The completion of the electric line to Santa Monica was heralded as another 
" Sherman's March to the Sea." The initial trip was made on Wednesday, 
April 1st. 1896, but it was no April fool this time — ^at last Santa Monica had 
a real sure enoug-h transportation line. Over five hundred guests were enter- 
tained by Santa Monica in honor of the day. The power house was decorated, 
the schools dismissed at noon and the population turned out en masse. The 
first car to arrive over the line was No. 65. with Pete Reel as motorneer. which 
appeared at 3 40 in the afternoon, bringing- city and county officials and prom- 
inent citizens and followed by a car loaded with tourists from Minneapolis. 
Guns were fired and bands played and General Sherman and Mayor Pratt of 
Minneapolis were decorated with floral offerings. Refreshments and speeches 
followed, the principal address being made by John W. Mitchell. The officers 
of the road were Gen. M. H. Sherman, E. P. Clark and W. D. Larrabee, to 
whose enterprise and progressive spirit the city of Santa Monica and the entire 
community owe one of the most completely equipj^ed and satisfactory trollev 
systems in the United States. 

The municipal campaign this year was a lively one, several tickets being in 
the field. As usual the question of licenses was the disturbing element. The 
election resulted in the following officials: Trustees, Moses Hostetter, Robert 
C. Gillis and J. J. Carrillo ; library trustees, Dr. P. S. Lindsey. Fred H. Taft, J. 
Walter Gray, T. H. Wells and William Stevenson ; clerk, Charles S. Dales ; treas- 
urer, E. W. Boehme ; marshal, George B. Dexter. This board took up the con- 
tinued story of the sewer troubles. A contract had been let to Frank H. Mohr 
to construct the mains, and he put up a certified check for $1000 as security. 
'He failed to make good on his contract and the check was retained by the city. 
The history of this check and the amount of legislation and law expended upon 
the matter would fill a good-sized volume in itself. In the end, after a decision 
by the Superior court, in 1897, the check was finally returned to the assigns of 
the contractor. It was discovered that the sewer bonds were illegal anvway 
after the contract had been forfeited, and during the fall work was begun on the 
construction of a main sewer under the Vrooman act, which is the beginning of 
a new chapter in sewer matters. 

In May the police department was created and Messrs. George F. See and 
A. L. Forsyth were appointed policemen. Arrangements were completed this 
year for sprinkling the streets with salt water. Owing to the long continued 
dry season the supply of water for sprinkling had become diminished and economy 
was necessary here as elsewhere throughout Southern California. 

This was one of the gayest seasons ever known here. Tournaments, tennis, 
polo races, croquet, bicycle meets, horse races and swimming contests furnished 
amusement for the " smart set " and the Sunday crowds alike. Trolley parties 
were a new entertainment which found favor and were frequent. In April the 

13 



194 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Hotel Men's Mutual Association, with representatives from all parts of the 
United States, were entertained with a banquet and a day of sports, including 
a barbecue, a battle of flowers and a " ring- " tournament. The Southern Cali- 
fornia Editorial ^Association was banqueted at the pavilion of Eckert and Hopf. 
The Knights of Pythias held their annual encampment in City Park and the 
district camp meeting of the Methodist church was held on the ocean front, a 
large tent having been put up there for their use. The Citrus Wheelmen of 
Los Angeles opened a club house on Utah avenue. At South Santa Monica there 
were many campers and cottagers, and band concerts and lectures provided en- 
tertainment. 

Notwithstanding the hard times of a dry season, considerable building was 
done during the year and a good deal of street work was put through. 

1897. 

In February, 1897, the Santa Monica Water Company incorporated, with 
a capital stock of $1,000,000, all subscribed. Senator Jones holding 7845 shares 
of the 10,000 shares issued. The board of directors were Juan Bandini, Charles 
H. Forbes, Roy Jones, E. J. Gorham and A. C. Hamilton. The objects of the 
corporation, " to deal in real estate and water rights, to erect buildings, construct 
reservoirs and pipe lines for the purpose of saving and distributing water for 
domestic purposes or irrigation and to furnish water to any town or city." 

The local Third-street electric line was opened in May and Julv ist the 
" short line " via Sixteenth street was first put in use and at once proved popular. 
It was double tracked and two miles shorter than the old route via Sherman. 
The entire line was double tracked this year and new cars add^d and this most 
important factor in the evolution of the city became at once so popular that 
the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe steam lines were compelled to take ofif their 
trains because of lack of patronage. 

On account of the proximity of the Soldiers' Home, Memorial day has al- 
ways been an occasion of particularly interesting and memorable services in 
Santa Monica. While the exercises at the home are always largely attended 
and most interesting, a large number of the veterans usually join in the celebra- 
tion at Santa Monica. Fort Fisher Post, G. A. Rl, and the Women's Relief 
Corps, with the children of the public schools have taken the lead in these exer- 
cises and many orators of note have spoken at them. General Horace Sargeant 
Binney, who was for a number of years a resident of Santa Monica, delivered 
some of the most notable addresses on these occasions. Maj. J. A. Donnell was 
another favorite speaker. 

On June 22nd the Queen's diamond jubilee was celebrated, one of the gala 
days in the memory of Santa Monicans. The affair was under the auspices of 
the British residents of Southern California, but was participated in by repre- 
sentatives of every nation and land. A day of sports had been arranged and 
many prizes offered and the fun was fast and furious. 



HISTORY OF SANTA ^lONICA BAY CITIES 195 

The revival meetings of the Rev. Dr. Munhall held during- June were some- 
what novel in the annals of Santa Monica, as they attracted the attention and 
interest of large audiences and of many who were not in the habit of attending 
such services. The annual encampment of the Seventh Regiment was one of 
the memorable events of this summer, over five hundred members participating 
and giving Santa Monica a taste of military life with their cavalry men, naval 
reserves, drills and evolutions, to say nothing of the sports and grand ball. In 
June four hundred members of the Los Angeles chamber of commerce banqueted 
at Rckert & Hopf's pavilion. These gentlemen for manv vears sustained the 
reputation of serving the best fish dinner to be found in California and their 
restaurant and pavilion was the scene of many festal occasions. The Arcadia 
was this year sold by Simon Reinhart to the Pacific Improvement Company, 
otherwise the Southern Pacific, and passed under new management. ' 

The board of trustees spent much brain matter and nerve force in wrestling 
with the sewer problem. There was all sorts of trouble over rights of wav for 
the proposed sewer and the citizens protested stronglv against the plans to be 
carried out under the Vrooman act. Steps had already been taken to build the 
main sewer and the lines for it laid out, to be carried to the south city limits 
and fifteen hundred feet into the ocean for discharge. But, after a public meet- 
ing, it was decided to again call a bond election and on August 4th the third 
election to vote sewer bonds took place and the proposition carried. A few 
weeks later these bonds were sold at a premium of $3355 — nearly to the paraWsis 
of the board and the town. This seems to have been a good year for bonds for 
the school bonds. $15,000, voted on September 4th. were also sold at a large 
premium. They bore interest at seven per cent., however. After long and 
persistent effort on the part of J. J. Carrillo, the sum of $800 was finally raised 
for the wagon road to the Calabasas district. The county added fifteen hundred 
and this road was finally built : also Ocean avenue was opened to the canon 
to connect with the new road. A systematic attempt to improve the bluff, which 
had been named Linda A'ista Park, was undertaken this year. 

1898. 

The year i8c)8 opened with a vigorous stirring up of the saloon question 
and the revoking of two licenses by the board of trustees, for violation of the 
ordinance regulating the business. This was the occasion of much rejoicing 
on the part of the better element and was the forerunner of better things, the 
retail liquor license being raised in April to $500. A couple of weeks later five 
saloon keepers in Santa Monica caiion were arrested for violating the county 
ordinances. 

The " news from Manila " and the probable war was the absorbing interest 
ot this year. There was much talk of the inadequacy of Pacific coast protection 
and timid souls feared to find a foreign war vessel swooping into Santa Monica 



196 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

liarl>or at almost any hour. In order to aid in protecting our country, a coni- 
])anv of home guards was organized in Santa Monica, May 3rd ; J. B. Proctor, 
who was a j^ast master in mihtary tactics, being chosen captain, George Wil- 
hams, who had seen twelve years of service in the regular arn\v, was first lieuten- 
ant ; A'ictor Hopf, second lieutenant. This company enrolled 75 members, many 
of them lu'ing prominent citizens of Santa Monica and a large number of them 
being native Californians. At the Soldiers' Home a company of five hundred 
veterans was already organized and had ofifered itself for service at the call of 
the government. With such an example at hand, it is no wonder that the 
vour.ger generation in the vicinity were enthusiastic. The Santa Monica com- 
pany was made Co. H of the Eighth regiment of National Guards. On the 
resignation of Mr. E. J. \ awter, Jr., who had succeeded Captain Proctor, C. 
M. O'Dell was chosen captain of the organization. It soon became apparent 
that the chances for the Eighth regiment to be called into service were slight 
and such of the members as were anxious to get into the field sought other op- 
portunities to enlist. 

In March the Santa Monica Beach Improvement Companv was organized, 
witli a capital stock of $100,000, and with a strong directorate, consisting of 
F. A. Miller, then proprietor of the Hotel Arcadia; M. H. Sherman, president 
of the Pasadena and Pacific electric line ; E. P. Clark of the same companv ; W. 
D. Larrabee, superintendent of the electric road; F. W. Richardson. Jacob Kurtz. 
Robert F. Jones, Charles H. Forbes, W. H. Perry. Roy Jones and R. C. Gillis. 
The company proposed to secure a lease of the beach front, build a pleasure 
wharf, erect neat cottages and other buildings on the beach and maintain and 
o])crate boats for fishing and pleasure. 

The year opened with prospects of two new wharves — which ought to have 
satisfied the most exacting. After infinite difhculties, bids were called for the 
outfall sewer and the wharf to carry it ; but when they were submitted, there 
were so nruiy and strong protests that all were rejected. T. C. Elliott also 
ai)iilied for a franchise to build a wharf at the foot of Railroad street. This 
proposition was looked upon favorably ; but the Southern Pacific blocked it by 
clainu"ng a previfH's franchise to this location, (^n Wednesdav, April 14th, 1898, 
the contract for the outfall sewer was finally let to Thomas Thompson for the 
sum of $11,720. the deeds to the right of way having at last been secured. In 
June Kinney &: Ryan applied for the use of the piles for the outfall sewer for 
whrrf pur|)oses and were granted the privilege. The same month it was an- 
nounced that the new pleasure wharf would be built between Railroad avenue 
and the North Beach bath house and the contract was let for the same. Both 
of these structures were completed during the summer and added mtich to the 
beach attractions, as they furnished every convenience f(^r boating and fishing. 

The Lincoln school building was completed in June and was dedicated by 
the graduating exercises of the high school class of the vear. In September 



HISTORiY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 197 

Santa Monica entertained three conventions at the same time, the Democratic, 
which met in a large tent on Ocean avenue ; the Silver Republican, which held 
forth at the Arcadia, and the People's party, which met in Odd Fellows' hall. 
This was the year of fusions and a great deal of " fusing " was done during 
these sessions, with small results, as appeared in November. 

1899. 

January, 1899. was marked by the launching of the Santa Monica Improve- 
ment Club, an organization which had long been discussed and from which 
much was hoped. J. J. Davis was elected president, E. B. McComas vice- 
president, F. H. Taft secretary. Dr. S. P. Lindsey, treasurer. Sub-committees 
on finance, licenses, streets, pavilion, transportation, health and veterans' asso- 
ciation were appointed and a vigorous campaign for lower fares ; for higher 
license for saloons ; to secure the erection of a suitable pavilion for public meet- 
ings ; and to capture the annual encampment of the veterans' association was 
begun. But like many other good things in Santa Monica, the Improvement Club 
seems to have exhausted its energy in getting started and it soon disappears from 
the scene, having accomplished only one very substantial changie. Largely 
through its efforts the liquor license was this year raised from $300 to $500. A 
lively contest between the saloon men and the druggists followed this action. 
It was claimed that the druggists were regidarly selling liquor without paying 
any license, and after considerable sparring, a suit was begun against a drug- 
gist. The druggists, however, pleaded ur.intentional violation of ordinance and 
the suits were dropped. 

During this year the electric line on Ocean avenue to Montana was built 
and the first car was run on December 28th. In October the Southern Pacific 
reduced its train service to one train a dav. instead of three. As they had the 
contract for carrving the mails, this aroused great indignation and caused much 
inconvenience to the business men of the town. Vigorous protests were made 
and resulted in a mail service over the electric road. In August it was 
announced that a new electric line was proposed between Santa Monica and 
Redondo. Mr. Abbot Kinnev was the originator of the scheme and was con- 
fident that the project would be carried out, thus opening up a section of beach 
territory that had not yet been utilized and establishing a new and strong- 
attraction for the tourist as well as a new and rapid transit line. This plan did 
not materialize at the time, but it has since been carried out in the Playa del 
Rey and Redondo line. Another ambitious scheme which was ahead of the 
time was the formation of the San Pedro and Santa Monica Excursion Com- 
l)any. which put the little steamer, J. C. Elliott, on to make daily trips between 
the two points, landing at the Kinney and Ryan wharf. Some verv enjoyable 
trips were thus made, but the venture did not prove profitable and was dropped. 

Auiong new buildings of this year were an addition to the Bank of Santa 



198 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Monica, the Collins bnildinf^, comer of Utah and Second ; the Tappener block- 
on Third street, and the new power house of the Santa Monica 
Electric Company on the beach. This was a substantial improvement 
costing some $25,000. The gas plant was also built this year, including the 
largest gas tank in the state, the entire expenditure being over $40,000. Gas 
was turned into the mains December 14th and was a much appreciated improve- 
ment. In July, Mr. R. C. Gillis purchased 1,000 feet of beach front, north of 
the North Beach Bathhouse, put in a walk and erected several well constructed 
cottages. The Sisters of the Holy Name selected Santa Monica as a site for their 
convent this year and opened their school on Fourth street during the construc- 
tion of their handsome building on the corner of Third and Arizona. December 
27th saw the destruction by fire of the Casino, which was built by the Santa 
Monica Improvement Company in 1888 and which had been the summer home 
of tennis in Southern California for many years and had seen many brilliant 
social affairs. The fire was evidently the work of an incendiary and caused a 
heavy loss as the insurance was small. 

Port Los Angeles. — From the time of the abandonment of the Santa 
Monica wharf by the Southern Pacific Company, in 1878, until the building 
of the " Long Wharf " in 1892-3, the people of this city hoped and worked for 
a new commercial wharf, which they firmly believed was all that was necessary 
to make their town an important center of commerce. During the later 
eighties and 1890-91, the agitation for securing a wharf was constant and 
sometimes became acrimonious. 

About this time it became certain that the Santa Fe would build into Santa 
Monica.' It also became evident that the new wharf completed in 1888 at Redondo 
was seriously encroaching on the business of San Pedro harbor and diverting 
freight from the Southern Pacific to the Santa Fe road. On Sunday, May 20, 
i<S90, C. P. Huntington, Col. Crocker and other Southern Pacific officials, visited 
Santa Monica and made a careful examination of the town and surroundings. 
Mr. Huntington listened attentively to the arguments which various citizens 
presented as to the expediency of building a wharf at Santa Monica, and the 
great railroad magnate assured them that Santa Monica ought to have a wharf. 
After this, other S. P. men visited the town and the citizens of Santa Monica 
appointed a committee to visit San Francisco and confer with the officials of the 
Southern Pacific and make propositions looking to the building of a wharf. — 
even proposing to raise a subsidy to secure the prize. The communit}- was kept 
in uncertainty as to the intention of the railroad people until 1890 when the 
Southern Pacific applied for a wharf franchise and put up a $5000 bond if the 
work were not begun within the specified time. 

In .\ugust, 1891, a corps of S. F. surveyors arrived, made camp in the 
canyon, and began to make surveys. It was then learned that the S. P. Com- 
pany had secured title through Abbot Robinson to the Santa ^fonica Heights 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 199 

property, owned by Abbot Kinney, 247 acres on the north side of the canyon, 
with several hundred feet of beach frontage. It was also learned that right of 
way on the beach had been secured from Railroad street to the property of the 
company. By January, 1892, it was understood that the wharf was to be built 
north of the canyon and was to be the " longest wharf of its kind in the world." 
The people of Santa Monica were at first disappointed at the location of the new 
structure but when they learned of the elaborate plans to be carried out, they 
were satisfied to have the finest wharf in California— no matter where it was 
located. 

March 6, 1892, the tunnel from the Railroad street to the beach was com- 
pleted so that the first train went through it. July 25th the first pile was driven. 
The work was under the supervision of the Thomson Bridge Company, of San 
Francisco, and was pushed as rapidly as men and money could carry it. In 
November, J. M. Crawley General Manager of the S. P. brought down an 
excursion of 200 merchants and members of the Chamber of Commerce from 
Los Angeles to inspect the new structure which was then 2100 feet long; and a 
little later H. E. Huntington, J. C. Stubbs and others of the S. P. officials in- 
spected the work and fully concurred in the decision that the best possible loca- 
tion for the wharf had been selected. 

The first steamer landed on May 13th, and the Outlook, under the heading 
"The Dawn of Prosperity" discourses thus: ''Thursday, May nth, 1893, 
will long be remembered as a day fraught with deep significance to Santa 
Monica. It was the forerunner of an era of prosperity which shall grow into 
a permanent benefit, with resuhs reaching into far ages. The important event 
was the landing of the first deep sea-vessel at the mammoth wharf, now nearly 
completed. The steamer San Mateo, of Comax, B. C, with a cargo of 4300 
tons of coal consigned to the Southern Pacific, (Captain Edward Parks) 
enjoyed the honor of being the maiden vessel to touch at Port Eos Angeles. 

The citizens turned out in force to welcome the steamer, and fully 1000 
people were present on the occasion, laden with flowers, the bright hues of which 
transformed the big collier into a " bower of beauty." Some of the citizens of 
Santa Monica had prepared speeches for the happy occasion, but evidently the 
flowers were enough for the old salt who commanded the San Mateo. The 
speeches were cut out. The editor of the Outlook had the advantage of the 
rest, however,— he published his remarks in the next issue. Among them we 
find this statement: " The full significance of the opening of the deep sea-port, 
where rail and ship come together in this particular portion of the southwest,' 
IS not yet apparent. It is a link in a grand commercial chain that will eventually 
belt the globe with the shortest and quickest commercial transit." 

It was confidently believed at this time that the completion of this wharf 
would have an important bearing upon the " harbor question " and might ulti- 
mately result in making Santa '.Alonica Bay the deep-sea harbor of this coast In 



200 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

the light of present developments, the importance attached to the building of 
the wharf seems rather exaggerated ; but it was generally thought at this time 
that only facilities for shipping were needed to secure the trade of the Orient. 
The fact that trade necessitates reciprocity seems to have been overlooked. 

The wharf constructed at Port Los Angeles was certainly a structure worthy 
of attention and admiration. The last spike was driven by Vice-president 
Stevenson, who happened to be visiting in Santa Monica at the time, on July 
14th, 1893. The structure is 4,700 feet from the shore. The Long Beach 
wharf, completed in ^lay, of the same year, is 1600 feet; the Redondo wharf 
was 800 feet, and the Outlook chronicles the San Pedro wharf as " o " feet in 
length. In x\ugust the new pier was carefully inspected by the Board of Ex- 
aminers representing the various Marine Insurance companies and shipowners 
and merchants. They stated : " A careful examination of the structure showed 
that in design and execution every precaution had been taken for strength, and 
due regard for safety while at same." — "In view of the foregoing facts and with 
the experience gained by many year's use of other outside ports in that vicinity 
that are similarly situated, we are of the opinion that Port Los Angeles is a 
suitable port of discharge and loading for steamers and sailing vessels." 

In October the depot at the end of the wharf was completed and the dining 
room opened with a banquet to the wharf builders and several Santa Monica 
people. The wharf was at this time placed under the charge of A. M. Jamison, 
agent, who still retains this position ; T. M. Polhemus, chief clerk ; F. H. Oswald 
and W. T. Maher, clerks ; and Captain F. E. Dronfield. who had general super- 
vision of the wharf and charge of the tug Collis. 

The approach of the wharf proper is 3120 feet long and 26 feet wide. On 
the south side is a walkway eight feet wide with railing on both sides. The 
materials used in the approach were 1500 piles, 975,000 feet of lumber and 37 
tons of bolts and spikes. The main wharf widens out to 130 feet and is over 
1500 feet in length. On the north side are coal bunkers and on the south the 
depot, warehouses and every convenience for passengers and shippers. The 
piles, of Oregon pine, were creosoted and set in such a manner as to make the 
wharf jiractically immovable. It is known as one of the most substantially built 
wharfs in the world and has stood the test of fifteen years without strain. 

The Southern Pacific Company, in locating its wharf here was obliged to 
do extensive work in order to secure a proper approach and ground for neces- 
sary warehouses, engine houses, and so on. The entire expenditure for the 
Port Los Angeles undoubtedly reached a million dollars. 

As soon as completed the passenger lousiness between Los Angeles and San 
Francisco practically ceased at other ports, as so much time was gained by land- 
ing at Port Los Angeles. Los Angeles was made a Port of Entry in 1893, with 
Port Los Angeles, Redondo and San Pedro as sub-ports. Deep-sea vessels, 
which could not enter the inner harbor at San Pedro, but must unload bv the 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 201 

aid of lighters, came to Port Los Angeles and nearly all deep-sea vessels reach- 
ing this coast since the completion of this pier unload here. In the earlier years 
of its construction Port Los Angeles was the point of entry for the coal used 
on the Southern Pacific system, and this item alone created a large business. 
Very large shipments of railroad ties were also delivered here. With the adop- 
tion of oil as a fuel on the railroads, shipments of coal have fallen otf and, with 
the improvement of San Pedro inner harbor so that coastwise vessels can land, 
lumber shipments have decreased. But the bulk of the deep sea tonnage is 
received at Port Los Angeles, and is constantly increasing. Some statistics may 
be of interest: In 1903, 283 vessels entered at Port Los Angeles and 302 sailed; 
18,733 passengers entered and 15,676 sailed. The import duties received were 
$311,740; in 1904-5 the duties were $309,826.48; in 1905-6 duties and tonnage 
amounted to $513,939.96. 

The Harbor Question. 

The question of the location of a deep-sea harbor to be constructed by the 
government of the United States upon the coast of Southern California was, 
for ten vears, 1889-1899. the most vital interest of Santa Monica. It is true that 
the contest was waged for the most part in Los Angeles and Washington and 
between forces which gave little consideration to the interests of the town of 
Santa Monica. It became, indeed, a national question in which individual inter- 
est was supposed to have little bearing; yet it directly affected every citizen of 
Santa jMonica and made the name of this place a familiar one in the political 
and coiumercial world. 

From the time of the building of the first wharf at Santa Monica in 1875. 
the possibility of a breakwater and improvements which would make of this a 
safe harbor of refuge and of commerce had been discussed. As the commercial 
importance of Southern California increased, it became evident that in time the 
government must assist in creating a harbor on this coast. Since 1871 efforts 
had been made toward making an inner harbor at San Pedro and up to 1892 one 
million dollars had been expended upon operations there. After the great ex- 
pansion in business of the later eighties, the question of what was to be done 
toward creating a deep-sea harbor was pressed at W^ashington and in response 
to it, a number of distinguished men, members of the Committee of Coiumerce 
of the United States Senate, visited California. 

During all the years of his editorship of the Outlook. L. T. Fisher had 
made a careful study of the conditions here. He was also thoroughly familiar 
with affairs at Wilmington. He had been assured by Captain H. C. Taylor, who in 
1874-5 conducted the coast survev on this coast and made a chart of this bay, that the 
conditions here were favorable to a deep-sea harbor, and he had consistently and 
effectively proclaimed the advantages of Santa Monica as a sea-port. 

October 13th, i88(j, the Outlook i)ubHshes a "challenge" as follows: "We 



202 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

challenge Colonel ]\Iendell, Dr. Widney, General Brierly, and all others who' 
favor San Pedro as the best place for a harbor for deep-sea vessels to success- 
fully disprove the following propositions : 

I St. Santa IMonica is nearer by at least eight miles, to Los Angeles, the 
commercial and railroad center of Southern California, than San Pedro. 

2nd. Santa Alonica Bay, by virtue of its shape, depth of water and general 
topography, is a more suitable place for a deep-sea harbor than San Pedro. 

3rd. Santa Monica Harbor, when enclosed by a breakwater, will remain- 
unchanged for all time to come, while a similar enclosure at San Pedro will 
rapidly shoal and become worthless in less than a quarter of a century. 

4th. Santa Monica is within a few miles of the material for a break- 
water, which can be obtained at less than two-thirds of the expense required at 
San Pedro. 

5th. Santa Monica having these advantages, it is neither the part of wisdom 
nor of economy, for the general government to expend a large sum of money 
upon a less favored community." 

October 26th, 1889, Senator Frye, chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Commerce, with Senators Dawe, of Massachusetts ; Piatt, of Connecticut ; Davis, 
of Minnesota ; Morgan of Alabama and Turpie of Indiana, visited San Pedro 
and was shown the proposed deep water habor by Dr. Widney, Col. Mendell 
and others interested. On this occasion, after listening to their eloquent ex- 
planations, Senator Frye remarked : " Well, as near as I can make out, you 
propose to ask the Government to create a harbor for you out of the whole 
cloth. The Lord has not given you much to start wdth, that is certain." A 
day or two later the same party visited Santa Monica, spending a couple of 
days here, as the guests of Senator Jones. That they were favorably impressed 
is shown by their remarks quoted in the following issue of the Outlook. One 
of them, after taking a view from the bluff, said, " Why, this is a better place 
for a harbor than San Pedro." Another declared, " more can be done here with 
$2000 than can be accomplished at San Pedro with $10,000. A third pointed 
to the mouth of Santa Monica canyon and declared that nature certainly intended 
that spot for a dock for repairing and building vessels. All of this, it must be 
remembered, was before there was any question of railroad control. It was 
considering the harbor proposition from a purely unbiased standpoint, by men 
who had no interest, except to secure the best returns for the money expended 
by the United States government. 

In January, 1890, the Santa Monica Board of Trade sent a strong resolu- 
tion to General Yandever, then representing this district in Congress, asking 
him to call attention to the commercial need of a deep sea harbor and present 
the claims of Santa Monica Bay for the consideration of the government. As 
a result of the agitation for a deep-sea harbor located on the shores of Southern 
California. $5000 was appropriated to pay the expense of preparing 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 203 

a project for a deep-sea harbor, to be located between Points Dume and Capis- 
trano. A Board of Engineers of the War Department, consisting of Col. G. 
H. Mendell, Lieut.-Col. G. L. Gillispie and Lieut.-Col. W. H. H. Benyaurd, 
was appointed. Of these men, Col. Mendell had been connected with the pro- 
jects for improving the inner harbor at San Pedro since 1871 and Col. Benyaurd 
was then in charge of the work being done at that point. Naturally it w'as 
objected that they could not be expected to give an impartial judgment. Novem- 
ber 8th, 1890 these gentlemen visited Santa Monica and were driven about the 
town and taken out to the canyon to inspect the supply of stone in Cold Water 
canyon. They spent two days in this vicinity, made an examinationn of Ballona, 
Redondo and of other points and then went to San Francisco. December 19th, 
1 891 the report of this committee was submitted to Congress. Its conclusions 
were: " In view of the fact that San Pedro Bay in its natural condition affords 
better protection both from prevailing winds and from dangerous storms than Santa 
Monica Bay : 

"That protection can be secured at a less cost for equal development of 
breakwater at the former than at the latter ; 

"That a larger area of protected anchorage from the prevailing westerly 
swells can be secured, the severe storms from the southwest being infrequent ; 

"And that there is already an interior harbor that will be a valuable addition 
to the outer harbor ; 

"The Ijoard considers San Pedro Bay as the better location for the deep- 
water harbor provided for by the act." 

Of course, the advocates of Santa Monica questioned whether any one of 
these conclusions was borne out by an unbiased examination into the facts. 

The Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles had already taken a prominent 
part in urging the necessity of a deep-water harbor in the vicinity of Eos Angeles. 
It now took decided action to secure an appropriation for San Pedro. A com- 
mittee consisting of H. Z. Osborne, Collector of Port ; Henry T. Hazard, 
W. H. Workman. Hervey Eindley and James Cuzner, drew up a memorial to 
Congress and Gen. Eionel A. Sheldon was sent to Washington as the representa- 
tive of the Chamber of Commerce, to assist IMr. Bowers, then representing this 
district. 

It was by this time generally known that the Southern Pacific had decided 
to abandon its wharf, upon which it had already expended a very large sum, at 
San Pedro and build the wharf at Port Los Angeles. This put a new face upon 
the situation. When it was known that one of the longest and most substantial 
wharves in the world was to be put in at this point, it was felt that a new and 
powerful argument had been added to those already presented in favor of Santa 
Monica. And when it became evident that Collis P. Huntington had decided 
that Santa Monica was the place for a deep-water harbor it was felt that victory 
was almost certain. And vet, the verv fact of Air. Huntington's advocacv and 



204 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

influence, was probably the fatal cause of San Pedro's final selection as the 
point for the harbor. Another new factor in the situation was the Terminal 
railway which, in i8()i, built from Los Ang;eles to San Pedro and secured large 
holdino's at vSan I'edro in anticipation of harbor facilities. 

\Vhen the matter of an appropriation for San Pedro was brought up in 
Congress the item was thrown out and a clause was inserted authorizing a board 
of five engineers, officers of the United States Army, to make a careful and 
critical examination for a proposed deep-water harbor at San Pedro or Santa 
Monica Bays and to report " which is a more eligible location for such a harbor 
in depth, width and capacity to accommodate the largest ocean-going vessels, 
and the commercial and naval necessities of the country, together wuh an esti- 
mate for the cost of the same." 

In the summer of i8(;2, this new board, consisting of Colonel Wm. P. 
Craighill. Lieut. -Col. Henry M. Robert, Lieut. -Col. Peter C. Hains, Major C. 
W. Raymond and Major Thomas H. Handbury. all of the L^nited States corps 
of engineers was appointed and in September they arrived on the coast and 
announced a public meeting at the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce, Los 
Angeles. The Santa IMonica side of the case was presented by Judge Carpenter, 
the San Pedro case was handled by J. de Barth Shorb, with Mr. Hood of the 
S. P. and Mr. Gibbon of the Terminal, as their respective assistants. This board 
submitted an elaborate and technical report which the editor of the Outlook 
reviews in a thorough manner. He says : " The engineers of this board appear 
to be handicapped also by circumstances. They were appointed by the Secre- 
tary of War, who is a large stockholder in a railroad terminating at San Pedro. 

Then again, the preceding corps of engineers are government officers and 
it is difficult to get these army people to decide one against another, except there 
be some very glaring necessity for it. That Board should never have consisted 
wdiolly of army engineers, however well they may have been selected. No such 
bodv of men is capable of giving the best decision. Two of the men should have 
been competent engineers, one a citizen and the other a government engineer ; 
another should have been a broad-guage commercial man, another a reputable 
navigator and another a well-known and capable railroad man. Such a com- 
mittee would have represented every phase of the question in the most competent 
manner. 

We have before us a copy of the report of the Board which contains 120 
pages, 26 of which constitute the report proper. A large share of the vohnne is 
irrelevant matter. One of the appendices consists of 18 pages of shipping 
statistics of Redondo. Turning to the report proper, there is a great deal of 
rubbish to l)e cleared away in order to get at the real, competing facts. When 
we come to the claims of San Pedro and Santa Monica as Harbor sites, which 
is the real question, it will be observed that these engineers draw largely on the 
re]iort of their predecessors, whose work thev were sent out here in revise and 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 205 

supplement. Another fact that crops out throughout the report, is the effort 
made to lessen the objections to San Pedro and exaggerate those of Santa 
Monica. Nor are the comparisons at all times fair. The important features of 
the discussion are literally buried under a mountain of verbosity and considera- 
tion of irrelevant topics which makes the report exceedingly confusing to the 
general reader. 

In noticing the shore line of Santa Monica Bay the report mentions the 
rocky places, in front of which it is not proposed to place a breakwater and 
neglects the real point from the S. P. Wharf, southward, where there are no 
rocks and a good bottom for pile driving and anchorage. Again, on San Pedro 
Bay, from Point Fermin to Timm's Point, all of which will form a part of the 
shore line in the harbor, it is very rocky. This fact is not noticed, but mention 
is specially made of the shore line further south where there are no rocks, and 
which will not be within the limits of the harbor. It is claimed that the bottom 
is irregular in the bay of Santa Monica, deepening towards Point Dume and to- 
wards Point Vincent. This is correct. But the bottom is regular and the water 
deepens gradually, at the point where it is proposed to locate the harbor. The 
area of San Pedro Bay is said to be a plateau, with the five fathom line half a 
mile from shore and with a rocky bottom in the present anchorage, as is shown 
by the presence of kelp. The facts show that the water is deep enough at 
either place, with rocks at San Pedro and none at Santa Monica. Then where 
does the superiority of San Pedro come in? 

It is admitted that Santa Monica Bay is protected to the southward bv the 
highlands and at the proposed harbor site it is protected from the northwest^ 
the exposure being mainly on the southwest. Catalina Island, it is admitted, 
also adds in some degree as a shelter. San Pedro Bay is protected from a 
northwester, and to some extent by Catalina, but entirely exposed to a south- 
easter. It quotes from the report of 1890 and admits, " The aggregate angle of 
the exposure of the two bays is the same." Then, we ask again, what advantage 
has San Pedro over Santa Monica? in the way of protection? 

Santa Monica bay has also the advantage in being nearer Los Angeles, but 
the matter is slurred over with the remark that the cost of transportation depends 
upon grades and curves, and that the distance was so small that it was thought 
unnecessary to give them any important weight in selecting a site, \^^ith all 
deference to these learned gentlemen, we say that it is important. Fourteen 
miles ni the round trip for a hundred cars a day (which is not a large dav's 
run) would be 1400 miles on one car— nearly half the distance to New York. 

Upon the cost of construction, the engineers differ. The report contends 
that rock could be transported by the scow-load from Catalina Island, twentv-one 
miles distant, to San Pedro cheaper than the same amount of material could be 
brought from Coldvvater canyon, eleven miles down grade b>- rail to Santa 
Monica. Kqually competent engineers deny this proposition. 



206 HISTORY OF vSANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

As we have before said, a harbor is an improvement whose utility extends 
indefinitely into the future. It is therefore of the first importance that a site 
should be selected where the status of the harbor is least likely to be disturbed. 
It is a well-known fact that the offing at San Pedro, which will be included in 
the breakwater, has been shoaling- for years, and that it would only be a cjuestion 
of time when the harbor would lose its usefulness, or else have to be kept open 
by expensive dredging. Even Col. Mendell admitted this point to the writer. 
Then why not, if necessary, expend a larger amount for a permanent harbor 
at Santa Monica?" 

After the making of this report, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce 
sent Gen. Charles Forman as a special delegate to Congress, accompanied by T. 
E. Gibbon. They were the bearer of numerous petitions and resolutions from 
various individuals and organizations of Southern California, urging an immediate 
appropriation for the San Pedro harbor. But it was a " short session " and it 
was stated that appropriations would not be large, and, in fact, none was made. 
It was now claimed that the Southern Pacific was exercising undue influence to 
prevent the appropriation for San Pedro and the slogan of the " free harbor " 
was taken up. The Los Angeles Times threw itself into the fight with all its 
vigor and the Chamber of Comiuerce took a decided stand in favor of San 
Pedro. But the completion of the long wharf and the advantages thus given to 
Los Angeles merchants led many to begin to look upon the possibility that, after 
all, Santa Monica might not be so far ofi^ in her claims. A petition signed by 
eighty-three merchants of Los Angeles representing over ten millions of busi- 
ness capital was drawn up and the Chamber of Commerce was asked to endorse it, 
which asked for an appropriation for " the construction of a breakwater and 
creation of a harbor at Santa Monica, independent of any appropriation which 
may be needed to maintain in good condition what is known as the inner harbor 
of San Pedro and Wilmington." 

A compromise resolution, asking an appropriation for a deep-water harbor 
at Santa Monica and also to dredge out and improve the inner harbor at San 
Pedro, was proposed, and a vigorous protest against both these resolutions was 
made. Mr. C. D. W'illard, in his Free Harbor Contest, says: "The sessions 
of the board were supposed to be executive, but a reporter of the Express 
managed to smuggle himself into the room as an assistant clerk and remained 
there through the whole session. The next day the members of the Chamber 
became aware, through the publication of the debate, that the board was any- 
thing but unanimous on the subject of the harbor site and the discussion was 
taken up in earnest all over the city. Henry T. Hazard, who was at that time 
mayor of the city, led the debate on the San Pedro side, seconded by Mr. Patter- 
son and Gen. Forman ; and the principal Santa Monica advocates were Mr. James 
B. Lankershim and Mr. T^. X. Breed. On three dififerent occasions, when the 
matter was about to come to a vote, an adiournment was secured. In the course 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 207 

•of the long- debate, Santa Monica gained and San Pedro lost. At first it was 
the Santa Monica men that dared not come to a vote, but in the end the condi- 
tions were reversed and it was clear that if a decision were reached in the board, 
it must be against San Pedro." 

" As a result of this situation, when it became evident that, if the board took 
action — and it could not well be longer postponed — the result would be a change 
of front for the Chamber, a ballot of the members of the organization was called 
for. 

" The weeks' campaign that followed was the most remarkable that ever 
occurred in the history of Los Angeles. The Times used every means in its 
power and the strongest language it could command to enforce the San Pedro 
side of the contest. The Terminal railway was equally active. The Santa Fe 
also took sides for San Pedro. April 7th, 1894 the members of the Chamber 
of Commerce balloted, the result being 328 for San Pedro and 131 for Santa 
Monica, which, with the influences at work, was a foregone conclusion. 

" In June the matter was brought up in Congress and after a hearing of 
several weeks, which attracted wide attention, because it was now made a fight 
for a ' free harbor ' as against a harbor control led by a ' monopoly,' a motion 
was passed deferring the decision to permit the members of the Committee of 
Commerce to visit the two harbors and form an opinion for themselves. 

" During the winter of 1894-95 the matter of the deep-water harbor was 
not brought up in Congress. The Chamber of Commerce continued its efforts 
in behalf of San Pedro, however, and the ' Free Harbor League ' was organized. 
In February, 1896, Col. H. G. Otis, Mr. W. G. Kerckhoff, Mr. W. C. Patter- 
son and Mr. W. D. Woolwine. were elected a special delegation to go to Wash- 
ington and lay the San Pedro case before the River and Harbor Committee of 
the House. Notwithstanding their able representation, the River and Harbor 
bill contained, when it was made up, two items : ' San Pedro, $392,000 and 
Santa Monica $3,098,000.' " 

The effect of this information upon the San Pedro advocates in Washington 
and upon the public of Los Angeles, and, indeed all Southern California, was 
electrifying. The Chamber of Commerce and League, of course, at once took 
steps to re-aftirm their position. Public mass meetings were held for each side. 
The city council and the Republican convention passed resolutions for both 
appropriations. Petitions for and against the proposed " double Harbor " 
scheme were circulated. Santa Monica people, took an active part in shaping 
the sentiment in favor of the Santa Monica appropriation and, naturally, were 
jubilant at the prospect of seeing their long hoped for dream fulfilled beyond the 
wildest hoDes of even L. T. Fisher. The Santa Monica delegation in Wash- 
ington was made up of Mr. J. S. Slauson, Col. J. B. Lankershim, Mr. John W. 
Mitchell and ex-Senator Cornelius Cole. On April 23rd, Robert F. Jones, 
President of the Santa IMonica Chamber of Commerce, received this telegram 



208 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

from Mr. Mitchell. " Coniniittee just voted Santa Monica Harbor one hundred 
thousand dollars immediately available, continuing- contract system, which will 
permit contract for two million, eight hundred thousand to complete work. 
San Pedro inner harbor now being considered. Hard fight and close decision 
but think can be held in bill." 

Senator White and the advocates of San Pedro bitterly opposed the passage 
of this bill and finally, as a compromise, a bill was passed which carried the 
full appropriation for a deep sea harbor to be located by a commission consisting 
of an officer of the navy, to be named by the Secretary of the Navy ; an officer 
of the Coast Survey, named by the Superintendent ; and three civil engineers to 
be appointed by the president. " They are to make a close personal examination 
anrl report to the Secretary of War, whereupon he is to let the contract." 
This last " commission " was the result of one of the strongest contests ever made 
over a provision for appropriation in congress. Senators White and Perkins, 
Berry and Vest spoke on the one side, while Senator Frye made the speech for 
the Santa Monica harbor. 

In October the new board was announced ; Rear Admiral John G. Walker, 
from the Navy; Augustus F. Rodgers, of the coast survey; Wm. H. Burr, 
George S. Morrison and Richard P. Morgan, appointed by President Cleveland. 
In December the members of this board arrived and after looking over the 
ground, conducted a most exhaustive examination at the Chamber of Commerce 
rooms in Los Angeles. This was felt to be the last chance and both sides 
gathered all their evidence and put forth all their efi^orts. Santa Monica harbor 
was ably represented by Wm. H. Hood, E. L. Corthell, A. M. Jamison, J. S. 
Slauson, Cornelius Cole. John Cross, Captains Jackson, Pillsbury and Salmond. 
The San Pedro case was under the management of Robert Moore and H. Haw- 
good. The hearing lasted for seven days. The report was filed March ist, 
1897 and was a large volume, containing many maps, charts, and much matter 
not belonging strictly to the question in hand. 

The decision was in favor of San Pedro, largely because of the work already 
done there and the inadvisability of the government maintaining two separate 
harbors. They said: "It is the judgment of this Board that the best public 
policy, both in the interest of economy and for the attainment of a deep-water 
harbor for commerce and refuge demands the concentration of expenditure at 
one point, with the corresponding cumulative excellence of results, rather than 
a dispersion and weakening of results by a divided expenditure at the two loca- 
tions. This conclusion gains considerable force through the fact that the selec- 
tion of the San Pedro site will, for the reasons stated, undoubtedly involve 
materially less ultimate total expenditure than is certain to be incurred by the 
inevitable construction and maintenance of the two harbors, if Port Los Angeles 
were to be selected. The preponderance of physical advantages, therefore, 
which leads to the selection of the San Pedro site, is in line with the best re- 



HISTORY (3F SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



209 



quirements of the best public policy as to the matter entrusted to the decision of 
this Board." This report was signed by four members of the Board. Mr. 
Morgan submitted a minority report in favor of Port Los Angeles. 

This decision was regarded as final and Santa Monica citizens accepted it 
as such. However, it was not until April 6th, 1899, that the contract was 
awarded and the actual work on the harbor began. The event was celebrated 
by a " Jubilee " which had lost somewhat of spontaneity by its long delay. Since 
that time work has gone on at San Pedro, but the deep-water harbor is yet in 
the future. 







14 




First Common Council oi« 

holders' Charter. 1906 



.^ THE City of Santa Monica Under the Free- 



CHAPTER V. 

Expansion. 1900-1908. 

THE year 1900 was an epoch-making one for Santa Monica since it brought 
with it many events which were far-reaching in their influence and which 
were important factors in the era of unprecedented prosperity and growth 
which has marked the first years of the new century. 

A radical change in the history of the town was brought about by the passage 
of the ordinance which made it a " no-saloon " town. Santa Monica had always 
been a "wide-open" town and while its citizens were just as respectable and 
law-abiding as those of any other beach town, the place had undoubtedly always 
been the favorite resort of the sporting element of Los Angeles. The proximity 
of the Soldier's Home had also made it the scene of the " old boy's " license, 
when pension money was plenty. Every efifort was made to suppress the dis- 
orderly element and as good order was maintained here, as a rule, as elsewhere ; 
yet the town had long borne the reputation of being a " tough " place. 

With the opening of 1900 a determined efifort was made to secure a better 
order of things. One of the leaders in this attempt, was the late Federick H. 
Rindge, a man of great wealth, sincere religious zeal and large philanthropy. 
He devoted his time, energy and money to this fight for the good standing of 
Santa Monica, which was then his home city. The campaign opened with an 
all day Sunday service devoted to temperance and local option. As a result of 
the meetings of this day a committee of citizens, consisting of J. F. Kiggens, 
E. J. Vawter, J. H. Clark, D. J. Twichell, J. S. Knesel, M. H. Kimball, W. I. 
Hull, Dr. N. H. Hamilton, C. I. D. Moore, J. O. Jennings, Dr. C. T. Wilson, 
T. H. James, H. P. Wilber, D. G. Holt, Dr. Glen McWilliams and 
J. F. Dunham, with F. H. Rindge, as chairman, was appointed to confer with 
the Board of Trustees and secure the passage of an ordinance submitting the 
question of saloons or no saloons to the people at the coming election. As a 
consequence of the action of these gentlemen, the requisite ordinance was 
passed. 

A vigorous, well organized, educational anti-saloon crusade followed. A 
series of public meetings was held on both the North and the South sides at 
which such speakers as Bishop Montgomery, Dr. Chapman. Dr. Hugh Walker, 
J. S. Slauson, F. H. Rindge, the pastors of the city churches, particularly Dr. 
Glen McWilliams of the Christian church and Dr. Wilson of the Methodist 
church ; and such business men as Rov Jones, W. S. and E. J. Vawter, D. G. 



212 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Holt, and others took part. The churches of all sects ; the anti-saloon forces of 
the county; the Womens Christian Temperance Union, the Good Templars, and 
a large number of the property owners and business men of the town, worked 
together heartily to secure the passage of the " no-saloon " ordinance. The 
Santa Monica Outlook took a vigorous share in the efifort and many who looked 
at the proposition simply from a business standpoint ranged themselves on the 
anti-saloon side. 

Naturally the saloon element, and a good many citizens who honestly be- 
lieved that the closing of the saloons would result in a financial loss to the town, 
put up a strong fight. Money was spent freely on both sides and the feeling 
was very strong; F. H. Rindge, in a public meeting promised to indemnify the 
town for the loss sustained by refusing licenses to saloons, and after the elec- 
tion, April 9th, which resulted in a vote of 305 to 218, a majority of 87 votes 
for " no license," he presented his check for $2,500 to the Board of Trustees. 
The trustees chosen at the election, J. C. Morgan, C. H. Sammis and T. H. 
Dudley had pledged themselves prior to election to carry out the expressed 
wishes of the citizens. It had been agreed that three restaurant licenses, per- 
miting the sale of liquors with bona fide meals, costing 25 cents, exclusive of 
liquors ; and one wholesale liquor license, under certain restrictions, should be 
granted. The ordinance passed by the new board was not exactly what the 
anti-saloon people had expected, as it permitted the sale of liquors at all hours 
and allowed the wholesale house to sell in original packages at its place of busi- 
ness, instead of simply delivering orders. 

It was to be expected that there would be violations of the regulations under 
this ordinance, which was certainly a great step in advance, although not all 
that had been hoped for by the movers in the " no license " fight. On August 
6th, E. Gamberi, of the Pacific Gardens was arrested for selling liquors without 
meals and was convicted and fined $175.00, while his license was revoked. 
Rudolph Hopf was also arrested for violation of the ordinance, but prior to 
his trial he became insolvent and was acquitted. This marked the downfall of 
the old firm of Eckert and Hopf, which had been in business in Santa Monica 
since the seventies. 

In 1901 the Board of Trustees modified the restaurant license so that it 
merely required " something to eat," with the liquor. This, of course, led to the 
service of the timeworn cracker and, it is claimed, that the cracker box alone 
was considered sufficient in many cases. In 1902 the wholesale license was 
raised to $1,200 and in 1903 the wholesale license was raised to $3,000, this 
amount having been offered by Alexander Gunn. 

In the spring of 1903 the temperance people were so aroused b\- the changes 
made, which practically restored saloons to the town, that they made a strong 
campaign before the annual election to secure candidates for trustees who would 
support the law and take steps to carry out the provisions of the original ordin- 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 213 

ance — which had been adopted to carry out the wish of the voters. Dr. Chap- 
man again took a vigorous, and as many thought, a not very wise, part in the 
campaign, working for the election of men who had pledged themselves to vote 
against issuing new Hcenses and removals of restrictions. After the city election, 
another special election to again submit the question of prohibition, by adopting 
what was known as the Long Beach ordinance, was called for. A brief cam- 
paign was made by Dr. Chapman and the question was submitted on June loth, 
resulting in a vote of 831 ; 287 for, 544 against. This result, so different from 
the previous one when this question was voted upon, was brought about by many 
causes ; chiefly the dissension of the temperance forces and the bitterness and, 
in the eyes of many, the unfairness of the methods adopted by the prohibition 
workers. As a consequence of this result, the Board of Trustees passed an 
ordinance, granting restaurant licenses, with no restriction as to meals ; buffet 
licenses, which were practically saloon licenses ; and the wholesale license. 
While there arc no open saloons in Santa jMonica, and the business is much 
restricted as compared with the old days when there were twelve or fourteen 
saloons running " wide open," there is ample opportunity for those who wish 
it to procure liquor and the town derives a considerable income from its various 
liquor licenses. 

Another important question which came up for discussion and action this 
year was that of the separation of the portion of the town lying south of Rail- 
road street from the "North side," or, as the Outlook puts it, the "legal separa- 
tion of Miss South Side from Mr. North Side, on the ground of failure to pro- 
vide." The citizens of the southern end of town felt that they had not received 
due consideration from the town trustees and that they had no representative on 
the board. There had long been a rivalry in growth, street improvements and 
attractions. A committee consisting of Col. A. B. Hotchkiss, a long-time resi- 
dent of the South Side, Joseph fjontty and Captain Malim, were active in urging 
this action, stating that the new town would remain a town, governed by the 
Board of Supervisors, and would save the expenses of a city government while 
improving her own streets and providing her own water, and light supply. The 
active discussion of plans for building a city hall had a bearing on the question, 
no doubt, and many other matters were connected with it. A petition with suffi- 
cient signatures was presented and the question was submitted to a vote of the 
people at the election of November 13th. A vigorous campaign was made against 
the division by the North Side and many citizens of the South Side also, and 
the election showed a very decided majority, the vote being 400 to 59, against 
the legal partition of the town. 

One of the movers in this attempt at disruption. Captain George D. i\Ialim, 
frankly announced in the Outlook, after stating that others who had promised 
aid had deserted the cause, " I have been at a loss of both time and money, 
fought alone and single-handed against nearly the whole town and got licked, 




(^,i*.( ). 11. HI'TTCJX. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 215 

but have one great satisfaction, that is, that I believe I have stirred people up to 
argue questions, consider propositions, and stand up for their rights, which they 
would not have done had it not been for the work done by myself." It was 
generally agreed that the discussion of the question had brought about a better 
feeling between the two factions and would result in a clearer understanding of 
the common interests of the whole city. 

Another topic which engaged a good deal of attention and gave rise to a 
great variety of opinions, was that of providing a suitable city hall. It was 
generally believed, also, that the town could not prosper without having some 
sort of public auditorium for large meetings. It was proposed to combine a city 
hall and auditorium building. This met with opposition and an effort was made 
to secure an auditorium as a private business venture. Bonds for the city hall 
were proposed ; but at last it became evident that the city affairs could be 
handled more effectively under a new form of government and the subject of 
adopting a city charter and becoming a city of the fifth class was taken up. 
Public meetings to discuss the advisability of this step and the results following- 
it were held and a committee consisting of Frederick H. Rindge, George H. 
Hutton, A. W. McPherson, W. S. Vawter and Fred H. Taft was appointed to 
formulate plans for re-organization. It was agreed that the town should be 
divided into five wards, as equally proportioned as to voters as possible, each to 
extend from the ocean back to the east line of the town and the committee also 
stood pledged to a general city convention to nominate officers, irrespective of 
party lines. But when the matter came to the test of the polls, January i6th, 
1 901, it was found that the interest was small compared with its importance. 
353 votes being cast, of which 171 were for and 178 against, the re-organization 
plan being lost by seven votes. 

Among the improvements of the year was the putting on of the mail car 
on the electric line which made three trips a day, taking" in Colegrove, Sherman. 
Sawtelle and Soldiers' Home, Santa Monica and Ocean Park and which also 
carried express matter. The Hollywood line was opened for service in February 
thus giving Santa Monica three routes to Los Angeles and still further increas- 
ing her transportation facilities. The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe roads, in 
a desperate attempt to recover their traffic, issued a ten trip ticket for $1.50, good 
for one month. But the electric line met this with a ten ride ticket, good until 
used, and transferable, for $2.00. The railroads gained little but the people 
who traveled between the city and the beach were decided gainers. The United 
Electric, Gas and Power Company was incorporated this year and took over 
the Santa Monica Electric Light and Power plant, the directors being the same, 
F. H. Rindge, Alfred Steadman, H. A\ Carter, G. I. Cochran and J. J. Davis. 
This company also secured control of the light and gas company of Redondo, 
Long Beach, San Pedro, and other towns. 

'' Sunset "' beach, lying north of the North Beach Bath House, was improved 



216 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

with walk, gas, electric light and sewer service and divided into lots to be leased 
to tenants for five and ten years. The owners were R. C. Gillis and E. P. Clark 
and after these improvements were carried out a number of commodious and 
attractive cottages was built on the tract. 

The death of " Bob " Eckert, April 27th, 1900, removed one of the best 
known characters of Santa Monica, or indeed, of Southern California. Mr. 
Eckert was born in the Fatherland. He came to Los Angeles in 1872 and soon 
acquired a reputation there as a caterer, a politicion and a teacher of gymnastics 
in the Turn Verein. His connection with the Turners made him known among 
the Germans of Southern California, and his genial, kindly nature won him 
many lasting friendships, not only among his own people, but with all with 
whom he came in contact. He opened a restaurant in Santa Monica in the 
later seventies and his fish dinners soon gained renown. For many }ears a feed 
at Eckert and Hapf's Pavilion was the best treat one good fellow could offer 
another. He catered to many distinguished guests and for many notable ban- 
quets, and was acknowledged as a past master in the art of serving a dinner. 
With his death and the canceling of saloon licenses, the Eckert and Hopf 
Pavilion which had been known from Alaska to Mexico, was closed. 

1901. 

The more progressive citizens of Santa Monica were not satisfied to allow 
the matter of re-organizing the city government to drop. They felt that the 
best interests of the city demanded that the town be divided into wards which 
would allow each district to select its own representative in the council. The 
new charter would also permit the organization of a board of education which 
could exercise powers not vested in the trustees of a district. A new petition 
for an election was prepared and presented to the Board of Trustees February 
4th. with a guarantee from the signers that the expenses of the election would 
be met by private subscription. The trustees, after due deliberation and ex- 
amination into the legal aspects of the case, refused to grant the petition. The 
movers for a new charter were not discouraged, however. They continued the 
agitation and in April organized a Good Government League, to look to muni- 
cipal matters, with F. H. Rindge, president; N. H. Hamilton, ist vice-president; 
W. S. Vawter, 2nd vice-president ; Fred H. Taft, 3d vice-president ; C. I. D. 
Moore, secretary and J. C. vSteele, treasurer. Mr. Rindge, who despite his many 
interests spared neither time nor energy in forwarding any movement for the 
public good, took an active part in this organization, which kept a sharp eyd 
upon the restaurant liquor licenses, that had been granted, as well as carrying 
on an educational campaign among the citizens on the subject of public improve- 
ments. A petition asking for a re-submission of the question of saloons or no 
saloons was received by the trustees in March ; but was not acted upon and 
although, there was a good deal of discussion of the subject, the trustees seemed 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



217 



to feel that the restaurant Hceiise permitting the sale of liquor with meals — which 
had rapidly degenerated to empty cracker boxes, was the most satisfactory 
arrangement to be made. 

The matter of voting bonds for a city hall continued to be discussed. There 
was also great need of a new bridge on Ocean Avenue in place of Bridge No. i, 
as it was known. This had become imperative as this street was the main 
thoroughfare between the North and South ends of town. Storm drains were 
also greatly needed, and after one or two mass meetings, in which matters were 
fully discussed and it was shown that the large tax payers of the city were all 



-^(*W5^" 




1ili I. 11 'ft 





"fjgl-*?*K. 



■iTY ua:.l, .saxta muxica. 



in favor of these improvements, an election was called for November 19th to 
vote on the question of issuing bonds in the sum of $25,000 for Bridge No. i ; 
$10,000 for Bridge No. 2; $29,000 for storm drains, and $35,000 for City Hall 
and Jail. At this election the bonds for town hall and bridge No. i were carried, 
the others defeated. 

The Board of Trustees at once called for bids for a site for the public 
building and was flooded with offers. They spent some very strenuous hours 
before finally determining on the lots at the corner of Oregon and Fourth. The 
South Side felt that since it must pay taxes for this improvement, it should at 
least be as near them as possible. The question of town division was still a 
live one. The marvelous growth made during the year 1901 at Ocean Park 
was putting that division of Santa Monica in the front rank in importance and 
the old rivalrv between the two sections was enhanced in manv minds bv the 




N. H. HAMILTON, M. D. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 219 

o-rowing wealth and many impovements of the " sand hills." The South Side 
had voted almost solidly against all the improvements, because of the desire to 
have its own town organization. 

A strong effort was made to secure the city hall for the corner of Third and 
Utah street, where a site was offered by Roy Jones for $12,000. The business 
men of the place generally endorsed this site and offered to guarantee that it 
should cost the city but $7,000. The matter was hotly contested by the citizens 
and the trustees seemed to be hopelessly divided in opinion — or interests. In 
February 1902 Roy Jones withdrew his offer of sites and thus removed the cor- 
ner at Third and Utah from consideration. Still the board could come to no 
decision and a straw vote was called for to decide what site would best please 
the voters. Condemnation proceedings to secure the property at Third and 
Utah were talked of and the fight waxed hotter than ever. A majority of 68 
out of 441 votes cast was for Lots V. W. and X., of Block 196, being the south- 
east corner of Third and Utah, at the price of $6,500. At the next meeting of 
the Board of Trustees, it was reported that the chosen site could not be secured 
at any price, except by condemnation proceedings, which meant long and expen- 
sive litigation, therefore the Board, by a vote of three to two, selected the site 
at Fourth and Oregon, offered by J. C. Crosier for $4,800. Although there was 
much dissatisfaction over the result, it was final and steps were at once taken to 
proceed with the building, the bonds having already been sold to the Oakland 
Bank of Savings at a premium of $3,000. 

Among the more important improvements of the year on the North Side 
was the building of the long looked for Auditorium, in connection with the 
North Beach Bath house. The cost was about $7,000 and it gave a large room 
for public meetings. It was opened bv an entertainment given b}' the newly 
organized Y. M. C. A. and was then taken possession of by a \"audeville troop 
which made a brilliant failure and soon vanished. The people of Santa iNIonica 
seem always to have been able to provide their own entertainments and an out- 
side attraction must be very unusual indeed to draw any large number of Santa 
Monicans from their own homes and amusements. 

The Academy of the Holy Names, established by the " Sisters of the Holy 
Names of Jesus and Marv," was completed and dedicated February 22nd. It 
was a handsome two and a half story building, beautifully finished and furnished 
and was dedicated with elaborate ceremonies, including a pu1)lic parade and 
testimonials from the city officials and citizens generally of Santa Monica. 

At South Santa Monica, or Ocean Park, the Los x\ngeles Times estimates 
that the improvements for the year amounted to $232,555, including the new 
power house of the electric line, costing $25,000; the Holborow Hotel. $10,000, 
the Casino, $10,000, waterworks and other improvements of Kinney & Dudley. 
$18,500 and 207 other building. 

Ainong the notable events of this vear was the visit of President McKinley 



220 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

to the Soldier's Home, at which time the citizens of Santa Monica aided in the 
reception wliich was there given him. And on September 20th, 1901 the people 
of this city held Memorial services in honor of the president whom they had so 
warmly welcomed. All business was suspended and the mourning was general. 
One of the incidents of this occasion was the services of the newly formed 
Spanish Society, which had arranged for an elaborate celebration on September 
1 6th, the Mexican Fourth of July, but changed their program to a Memorial 
service, after which they burned the murderer in effigy. 

1902. 

The history of 1902 w^as largely municipal. As has been seen, the difficult 
task of settling on a site for the city hall was carried over into this year. But 
before it was decided the still more important matter of re-organization came 
up. The new election was called for January 28th. In the meantime, the Board 
of Trustees ordered a census of the town to be taken. The call for re-organiza- 
tion of the city had been based upon the United States census of 1890, which 
gave Santa Monica a population of 3057. Cities must have a population of 
3,000, at least, in order to be raised to the rank of fifth class. Opponents of the 
change had insisted that the town did not now have the requisite three thousand 
and the census of the Board resulted in but 2,717 names. The promotors of the 
movement, however, asserted that this census did not count, as by law, the 
population would be taken from the United States census. At the same time 
the Good Government League claimed that the census taken by the Board was 
defective and set men to work to re-take the census. After a long and very 
thorough canvas, in which, we are certain every nose was counted, the result 
was reported as 3,260. 

The election resulted in a decided victory for the Good Government League 
and the progressive citizens generally, the vote standing 231 for and 118 against, 
giving a majority of 118 as against the majority of seven tlie other way at the 
previous election. But votes do not settle the question voted upon in Santa 
Monica. At the next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees when it was 
in order to officially canvas the vote, that long suffering body was served with 
a writ of injunction, sworn to by H. X. Goetz, enjoining them from canvassing 
the votes and declaring the election to have been illegal. When the Board had 
recovered from the shock of this attack, they engaged counsel to defend them in 
this case and in another action, brought by Attorney Fred H. Taft, demanding 
that the city fathers count those votes, or show cause why. The courts decided 
that the election was all right and on February loth. the last act in this long 
drawn-out drama took place, and the returns of the election were duly declared 
although the new city government could not, by the terms of the law, go into 
effect until the year 1903. 

The voters of Santa Monica certainly had ample opportunit\- to exercise 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 221 

their free and sovereign right during the years of 190 1-2. Beside the regular 
state election in November, 1901 and the municipal election the next spring, live 
special elections gave them a chance to express their opinions. In view of the 
important matters under the control of the Board this year, a good deal of 
interest was taken in the annual town election. Mr. W. S. Vawter was nominated 
as the representative of the Ocean Park district by an enthusiastic public meet- 
ing. There were numerous other candidates for the trusteeship and for all the 
other city offices. The question of a special tax for the repair of the outfall 
sewer and the wharf at Pier Avenue was also submitted and voted on favorably. 
Messrs. Vawter and J. C. Steele were elected trustees, J. C. Plemingway, clerk ; 
E. W. Boehme, treasurer and M. K. Barretto, marshal. In the re-organization 
of the board, T. H. Dudley was elected president and F. H. Taft was chosen as 
attorney. One of the first acts of the new board was to raise the wholesale 
liquor license to $1,200 per year. 

During the summer of 1902 especial attention was called to the safety of 
Santa Monica Beach as compared with other beaches. It was shown that very 
few accidents, due to undertow, had ever occurred on this beach and that every 
precaution to prevent accidents was taken, a guard being maintained on the 
beach at all times, life boats being at hand in case of need. The Los Angeles 
Times stated: "It is safe to say that since this little city was laid out, nearly 
a million people have bathed in the surf there ; and while there have been a 
number of fatalities due to suicide, heart failure, and apoplexy or cramp, there 
has not been one authenticated instance of any person being overcome by a 
treacherous current or tide, or any person having been lost who was bathing 
from any public bath house." 

Among the conventions entertained this year were the Woman's Auxiliary 
of the Episcopal church and also the Summer Institute of Sunday Schools of 
the Episcopal diocese ; the annual convention of Christian churches of Southern 
California, lasted eleven days and brought a large number of visitors to attend 
its sessions. In October, the grand Lodge of the Good Templars, a state or- 
ganization, held its annual session here. 

The " short line " of the Los Angeles-Pacitic was opened in August, thus 
giving a new and considerably shorter route to Los Angeles. An important land 
deal of the year was the sale by the Pacific Land Company to the Erkenbrecher 
syndicate, of a tract of 390 acres of land, lying just east of the then town limits 
and including 38 acres within the town limits. A portion of this was divided 
into town lots and the rest was made into five and ten acre tracts. Another 
very decided improvement was the paving of Oregon and Utah streets which 
had long been discussed but. as usual, with a variety of opinions. The Columbia 
building near the corner of Third and Oregon was built by Bishop Montgomery 
on ground adjoining the Catholic church. This was a three story brick with 




J. C. HEMINGWAY. 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 223 

two large storerooms on the ground floor and a pleasant hall for puhlic purposes 
upon the second floor. 

Another matter which the city fathers were called upon to meet this year 
was the question of allowing the Santa Fe road to abandon its line from Ingle- 
wood into Santa Monica. The road had petitioned the State Railroad commis- 
sion to be allowed to do so. on the ground that it was operating the line at a 
loss. There was considerable opposition to permitting this action on the part 
of the donors of the right of way, and at the same time a petition from many 
other citizens of Santa Monica prayed that the abandonment be allowed. It 
was generally believed that this would result in a competing electric line coming 
into Santa Monica, and rumors that the Traction Company were looking this 
way were frequent during the summer. In August Abbot Kinney made applica- 
tion for a franchise for a steam or electric line through the town to be operated 
by the Redondo and Santa Monica Beach line, of which he was the chief in- 
corporator. After some investigation this franchise was refused. In July it 
was announced that the right of way had been secured for a line direct from the 
city to the Ocean Park district, through La Ballona and Palms. The promoters 
were a compan}- of whom Frederick H. Rindge was the chief. 

In September the Traction Company made an ofifer of $3,500 for a franchise 
in Santa Monica. The Board of Trustees, being hard up for cash as usual, 
were disposed to look favorably upon this proposition ; but it was recalled that 
Mr. Hook had offered $5,000 for a similar privilege in Long Beach and it was 
also pointed out by interested citizens that, according to law, any franchise must 
be sold to the highest bidder. Lawyers differed as to this point and the dis- 
cussion waxed warm. A franchise was drawn up, granting the company all 
that was asked, for a consideration of $2500 and an electric current sufficient 
to supply 12 arc lights of 2000 candle power. While the discussion was going 
on, Captain John Cross, of the Terminal road appeared and offered $5,000 for 
a franchise; but the Board of Trustees passed the Hook franchise without con- 
sidering this offer and despite strong opposition on the part of many citizens. 

A day or two later John C. Morgan, one of the trustees, and a man who 
was always ready to fight for his convictions, brought suit against the Board of 
Trustees to restrain them from making the proposed " Hook " franchise a law\ 
Meanwhile the first payment was made on the franchise and the Traction road 
began making preparations for entering Santa Monica. The Los Angeles- 
Pacific also began to move, removing the poles which had long been a bone of 
contention, on Oregon street ; double tracking and otherwise improving their 
service — in anticipation of competition. In February, 1903, Col. A. B. Hotch- 
kiss took steps to test the validity of the Hook franchise, since it was granted 
without competitive bids. When it appeared that the Traction Company had 
secured their right of way through Santa Monica and Ocean Park, the Los 
Angeles-Pacific railwav, alarmed for its supremacy, also began suits to contest 



224 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

the right of way. and in retaHation, the Los Angeles, Ocean Park and Santa 
Monica Company, which had been incorporated to handle the Santa Monica end 
of the Traction Company, began suit to condemn certain tracts in Ocean Park, 
needed for the Traction right of way. The officers of this company were W. S. 
Hook, Abbot Kinney, T. J. Hook, C. A. Sumner and E. E. Milliken, and it was 
generally known as " Abbot Kinney's Company." 

The Hook franchise was sustained by the attorney-general and the contest 
between the two trolley line companies became a bitter one. The annual election 
of city officials was approaching and the attitude of the trustees toward the 
railroad question became the vital question. The Herald announces : "The 
railroad election battle is on and that it promises to be hotly contested is evi- 
denced by the fact that each of the rival companies has established boarding 
camps within the city limits and is registering every available man in their em- 
ploy. Three registrars have been working for the last thirty days and on March 
4th the citv registration shows an advance of 343 votes over the registration 
of last November. Since March 4th fifty additional names have been added 
and before the registration closes it is conservatively estimated that over 400 
increase will be shown." 

The campaign that followed was one of the most strenuous ever known 
in Santa Monica. George D. Snyder, H. X. Goetz, A. F. Johnstone and J. C. 
Morgan were candidates for the trusteeship, and were pledged " not to put any 
impediments in the way of the Traction Company's building and operating a 
line in Santa Monica, according to the terms of the franchise recently granted 
them." W. S. A'aw^ter, T. H. Dudley and J- C. Steele were candidates for re- 
election. The saloon question was again involved and much type was used 
by the press and much talk was poured out on the streets and in public meetings 
over the situation. Messrs. Dudley, Vawter, Goetz, Johnstone and Steele were 
elected, and as at least three of them were pledged to the anti-saloon party, 
there was rejoicing in the temperance ranks. It soon developed that the railroad 
situation had already been taken out of the hands of the city officials, by the 
sale of the Traction road and its interests to Clark and Harriman, who having 
no use for a competing line, were not expected to push the road to Santa Monica. 
Abbot Kinney, however, still retained the franchises granted to the Ocean Park, 
Santa Alonica and Los Angeles road and made an attempt, which w'as promptly 
put a stop to by the city trustees, to occupy them. But in 1904 he sold his rail- 
road interests to the Los Angeles Pacific road, thus putting an end to the hope, 
still maintained by Santa INIonica, of a competing line. 

1903. 

The year 1903 was marked by an unprecedented growth. With the new 
city government and the occupation of the beautiful new city building, came 
an expansion in everv direction that approached dangerouslv near to the fated 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



225 



word " boom." The new city hall, a substantial structure whose simple lines 
and graceful curves are dignified and beautiful, was complete in its fitness and 
space for the needs of the city .affairs and was regarded by all — those who had 
opposed the bonds, the plans and the location, as well as those who had worked 
hard to settle all difficulties and secure the building — with pride. On the evening 
of its dedication, March 19th, 1903. the people of Santa Monica and many 
visitors from I.os Angeles inspected the building with approval and listened to 
the exercises with pleasure. A program was rendered and Mr. W. I. Hull 

gave a resume of the history of the 
building, in which he humorously re- 
called the various agitations which had 
led up to this happy finale. He closed 
by hoping that " those who take pos- 
session of it next month will keep it 
clean ■ — clean inside and out. Let 
every record made here be as white 
as the paper on which it is written. 
Let those who are elected to office 
fulfill their duty as a public trust and 
not as a private snap. Municipal 
government is the weak spot in our 
American system. Selfish and cor- 
porate interests seek to control elec- 
tions that they may enrich themselves 
at the expense of the people. If we 
are careful that such conditions do not 
occur in Santa Monica, we shall the 
more quickly realize the grand destiny 
that awaits us — the Queen Seaside 
City of Southern California." Beside 
the municipal offices, the public library was provided with pleasant quarters. 
which were greatly appreciated by the public. The city hall was built by 
H. X. Goetz, the contractor, and with its site, cost about $38,000. 

The city government under the new form required an election of new city 
officials throughout. The railroad and saloon questions had already become 
important factors in this municipal election. The many atifairs of importance 
which the new board of trustees would be required to handle made their selection 
more than ever of the deepest importance to the town. Yet it must be feared 
that a large number of the voters were swayed by self-interest and personal 
feeling, rather than bv the " greatest good to the greatest number." The ticket 
chosen was as follows : Trustees, T. H. Dudley, H. X. Goetz, A. F. Johnston, 
J. C. Steele and \\'. S. A'awter ; school board. \V. E. Devore, J. H. Hassinger, 




H. X. GOETZ. 



15 



226 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Dr. J. S. Hunt, J. H. Jackson and S. F. Carpenter ; clerk, J. C. Hemingway, 
re-elected ; assessor, C. S. Dales ; treasurer, Frank W. A'^ogel ; recorder, A. M. 
Guiding-er ; marshal, M. K. Barretto, who had served in the same office since 
1898; for city attorney, there was a sharp contest between F. II. Taft. the incum- 
bent, and Benjamin S. Hunter, who it was claimed was a non-resident of the 
city. Mr. Taft was elected, but the position was contested in the courts bv 
Mr. Hunter, without avail. 

With the organization of the new board of trustees on April 20th, the 
history of Santa Monica as a city of the fifth class began. T. H. Dudley was 
chosen president of the board ; the salaries to be paid city officials were, after 
some discussion, fixed: City clerk, $1020.00 per annum; attorney, $600.00; 
assessor, $520.00; marshal, $1200.00; treasurer. $400.00; recorder, $300.00; chief 
of fire department, $120.00 per annum. 

The disastrous anti-saloon campaign which followed the inauguration of 
the new government has already been' described. In view of the talk of incor- 
porating the section south of Santa Monica into a town, a petition was prepared 
bv some of the property owners in the strip of territory betw-een Marine avenue, 
the southern line of the citv limits, and Rose avenue, asking that this territory 
be annexed to the city. At the same time a largely signed petition from citizens 
of Santa Monica making the same request was presented. Acting upon these 
a special election was called for December 14th, which resulted in a vote of 30 
in the proposed territory — ig against annexation. This result had been' antici- 
pated as a strong fight had been made by the " incorporationists " against the 
measure. 

1904. 

The rapid growth of the town had made the old water system entirely 
inadequate to the demands upon it, particularly in the case of fire, and for a 
year or two there had been more or less talk of municipal ownership of the 
l)lant. The dissatisfaction with the conditions was so general that February 
5th a mass meeting was called to discuss the situation and the possibilities of 
the city acquiring a water system of its own. At this meetings a communication 
from Mr. Rindge, president of the Artesian Water Company, then supplying the 
city water, was read, in which he stated that his company would guarantee the 
city an adecjuate supply and would at once enlarge their facilities for supplying 
water. After considerable discussion it was decided to suspend further action 
by the citizens until it was seen whether the water company fulfilled its promises. 
During the next two years the Artesian Company laid a 16-inch main down 
Nevada street and distributed a large amount of new pipe, replacing the old 
system and extending it to new districts. Nevertheless, it was still felt that 
the water supply was not equal to the demands of the rapidlj^ growing city and 
the board of trade appointed a committee, who after a thorough examination 
into the matter, reported favorably u])on the proposition to bond the city for a 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 227 

sum sufficient to secure its own water system. The city engineer prepared a 
careful estimate of the cost and reported that he thought a complete plant could 
be provided for $240,250. At the request of the requisite number of voters, 
the council ordered an election to vote upon the proposition of bonding the 
city for $250,000. But many citizens felt that this was moving too rapidly, 
as the city was already heavily bonded and was now considering the adoption 
of a new charter, consequently the date of this election, January i6th, 1906, was 
recalled and the matter permitted to drop for the time being. The feeling is 
still strong that Santa Monica must soon have a more adequate supply of water, 
owned by the municipality ; but the building of school houses and the disposition 
of sewage must first be completed. 

After the incorporation of the town of Ocean Park, including the settled 
territory south of the Santa Monica city limits, there was still much talk of 
town division. Many of the people residing in the section which had first been 
known as " Ocean Park ", felt that they had built up that portion of the " sand 
hills " into a prosperous business and residence district with very little aid from 
the " old town " of Santa Monica. The rapid growth of the last two or three 
vears had brought in a new element who knew little of the past history of the 
town and did not realize that the question of town division had already been 
thoroughly canvassed and, it was hoped, settled by the decisive vote of Novem- 
ber 13th, 190T. Ocean Park had already secured a portion of the Santa Monica 
school district and it was now proposed to divide the city at Front street. It 
was the common belief that this section, if cut off from Santa Monica, would 
join the new Ocean Park municipality, although there were those who talked 
of a third corporation which should go it alone. Some of the older residents 
of the territory, who had already paid taxes for street improvements, schools, 
city hall, and sewers in Santa Monica, did not care to repeat the payments for 
the same purposes in the new town. The new corporation of Ocean Park was 
already voting bonds with a free hand ; there were dissensions among business 
interests — the causes were various but the result was — death to the division 
proposition. The petition was circulated but was never presented and the election 
did not take place. The Outlook of January 21st, 1905, pays its tribute to the 
division question thus : 

" P^oor little thing dead. The last sad rites performed over fatherless and 
motherless babe. There is crepe on the door of a suite of upstairs rooms on 
Pier avenue. The fight to divide Santa Monica is ended. Tlic ' executive com- 
mittee * for the division of Santa Monica has passed in its checks. The last 
meeting of this august bodv was held on Wednesday, when it was tlecided that 
the idea of dividing this citv was a forlorn hope and the committee adjourned 
■ sine die.' While the meeting was secret, it is learned that the executive com- 
mittee i^ositively decided to abandon the project." 

And from this (kuc a r. ore s;)lid f:n'h in " greater S uit 1 Monica " has 



228 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

grown up ill both sections of the town and it is only a matter of a few years 
before the memory of " north " and " south " feuds will have faded and Santa 
Monica will present an undivided front to the world. 

This vear was marked by the breaking- up of laroe tracts and the opening 
to settlement of many fine pieces of land hitherto unoccupied. In April it was 
announced that the Jones and Baker lands, including the San Vicente rancho, 
Boca y Santa Monica and Santa Monica rancho, over 30,000 acres in all. had 
been transferred to a consolidated company formed of the Artesian Water Com- 
pany, the Santa Monica and Sawtelle Water Companies, Frederick H. Rindge, 
Gen. M. H. Sherman, E. P. Clark, G. I. Cochran, R. C. Gillis and others. The 
purpose of the new water company was to supply water to the Ballona country, 
between Western avenue in Los Angeles and the sea coast, and to supply domestic 
water to Santa Monica and the entire coast southward to Playa del Rey. It 
was stated that the lands coming into possession of the new company would be 
subdivided and put upon the market at once and soon afterward a sale of 1000 
acres of the San Vicente rancho was made to R. C. Gillis. This tract extended 
from Fourteenth street to Sawtelle between Oregon avenue and the Southern 
Pacific right of way, and was at once cut up into lots of from two to forty acres 
and ofifered for sale. The Santa IMonica Land and Water Company also sub- 
divided 450 acres between the Soldiers' Home lands and Twenty-sixth street. 

A number of other tracts and additions were put on the market this year 
also, among them the Irwin Heights tract east of the city, which was inxproved 
by Irwin and Towner ; the Artesian tract continued to attract buyers and the 
Oregon avenue tract between Thirteenth and Sixteenth streets Avas opened, 
streets paved and many lots sold and houses built during the vear. Six new 
houses, costing about $15,000, were put up in Washington Place. This portion 
of the town, east of Tenth street and north of Oregon, became, indeed, a new 
city within a very short period. The land east and north of the city limits had 
also become desirable residence property and many homes had been established 
on " villa " lots, or small ranches. The talk of annexation of this district grew 
and was brought to a head finally l)y the attempt on the part of Ocean Park to 
secure a division of the town of Santa Monica at Front street, and by the neces- 
sity of supplying school accommodations for the many new residents. 

It was estimated that during the year from April, 1904, to April, 1905, two 
hundred building permits were issued for the city of Santa Monica, the expendi- 
ture reaching $300,000. During the same period, four miles of streets were 
graded and several miles oiled ; 260,000 square feet of cement walk were laid, 
40,000 lineal feet of concrete curbing were put in, 30,000 square feet of cross- 
walks, 12,000 feet of sewer pipe laid, 22,000 feet of gutter and 40,000 square 
feet of paving put down. This was done by the city and it is probable that 
the work done by private contract in the various new subdivisions almost equaled 
this record. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 229 

1905. 

This is the banner year in the existence of the Santa Monica bay cities. 
It was a year of wonderful growth and unprecedented development in every 
direction. The " old " town of Santa Monica passed forever from the ranks 
of " country " towns and became a city in fact as well as in form during" this 
year. The southern part of the town, commonly known as " Ocean Park ", 
which was already an important business center as well as a popular summer 
resort, with the completion of the bath house and the Decatur Hotel, the building 
of the Masonic block and many other business blocks on Pier avenue, ]\Iarine 
street and the ocean front began to put on a metropolitan aspect ; while the 
creation of Venice — the " Dream City " of Abbot Kinney's fancy, made the new 
town of Ocean Park the center of attraction for the entire state. 

Another remarkable feature was the continued opening up of subdivisions 
which found rapid sale as suburban homes. Much of the San Vicente and 
Ballona ranches which had been barley fields, or, later, bean patches, was now- 
platted, graded and improved to be sold as lots or in small tracts. Westgate 
and Westgate Acres, Irwin Heights, Towner Terrace, the Artesian tract, Serra 
Vista, Palisades, Brentwood Park and Green Acres, to the north and east of 
Santa Monica ; Ocean Park Heights, East Ocean Park, \>nice Park tract, Vine- 
land, Clarkdale and many other subdivisions between Ocean Park and Los 
Angeles were put on the market. Most of these subdivisions were on or near 
the line of the trolley cars. In the case of Westgate, the promotors, in con- 
junction with the Los Angeles and Pacific, built a branch line from Sawtelle 
through the tract and along the edge of Santa Monica canon and Ocean avenue 
to connect with the Montana-avenue branch, thus giving the public the most 
picturesque trolley ride to be found in Los Angeles county. This line was com- 
pleted and opened for use August 9th, 1906. This company also constructed 
San Vicente boulevard from the Soldiers' Home to the city limits of Santa 
Monica, a distance of several miles, one of the finest stretches of roadway in 
the country. 

All of these tracts along the base of the Santa Monica sierras command 
magnificent views of ocean, mountains and valleys. They are improved with 
graded and oiled streets, cement walks, parks, trees, shrubbery and ofifer every 
modern conveniences — water, electricity, car service, as well as the unequaled 
location, the air, the space, the quiet and seclusion of country life. Building 
restrictions were placed upon all these tracts so that only desirable homes might 
be built and the rapidity with which magnificent country places, as well as 
artistic bungalow and cottage homes have sprung up proves that there was a 
demand for just such a residence section. The amount of money spent in im- 
proving these lands and putting them on the market would probably reach a 
half-million dollars and the expenditure in l^uildings and improvements by 
purchasers would perhaps reach the same figure. 




R. R. TANNER. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 231 

In the spring of 1905 it was announced that Frederick H. Rindge would 
build a wagon road through the Malibu ranch and there was a general feeling 
of satisfaction that at last communication north along the coast would be opened 
up. But it soon developed that this wagon road was not for the public, and 
rumors that it was to be a railroad or a trolley line were rife before the death 
of Mr. Rindge in August. In October the Outlook rejoices greatly in the fact 
that the " Hueneme, Malibu & Port Los Angeles " electric line will be a great 
acquisition to Santa Monica. Mr. H. W. Lemcke of Santa Monica was ap- 
pointed general manager, and for some months the papers were kept busy as- 
serting and denying facts about this new road which was — and remains — an 
enigma to. the public. The new passenger depot of the Los Angeles-Pacific 
located in Linda Vista park was a substantial improvement which was greatly 
appreciated. Many improvements in the electric line service were made during 
the year, not the least of which was the completion of the Playa del Rey-Redondo 
line and the establishment of a five-cent fare between Santa Monica and Playa 
del Rey. 

One of the most important real estate transactions of the year was the 
formation of a syndicate by F. E. Bundy which was made up largely of Ocean 
Park capitalists, including E. S. Tomblin, R. W. Armstrong, A. E. Robinson, 
H. L. Miller & Co., Robert F. Jones, A. W. TNlcPherson, E. A. Wilson, Dana 
Burks, J. W. Tomblin, Smith Realty Co., I. E. Warfield & Co., and F. E. Bundy. 
This later took the name of the " United Land & Water Company " and marked 
a community of interests between the two factions of the Santa Monica bay 
region. This company purchased a tract of land south of the Oregon-avenue 
line between TWenty-sixth street and Sawtelle. They planned to make this a 
model village site and spent a large sum in improvements. The tract was put 
on the market as the " Serra Vista " and many sales were made. It became 
a part of the city when the new territory was taken in and is a valuable addition 
to the city's wealth. The Irwin Heights tract continued to settle up and many 
improvements were made in this vicinity. A large sum was expended by the 
Irwin Heights Company in developing water and an excellent system was pro- 
vided for this district. 

Another important real estate move was the opening up of the original 
Palisades tract, lying between Ocean avenue and Seventh street, north of Mon- 
tana avenue. This was improved by a company composed of H. D. Lombard. 
R. A. Rowan, W. S. Vawter, T. H. Dudley, W. T. Gillis and H. W. Keller. 
They spent $100,000 in improvements, grading and oiling streets, sewering, 
cement sidewalks and in planting trees, etc. Linda Vista park was also im- 
proved in front of this addition. Later the balance of the land lying between 
this tract and the Santa Monica cafion and extending north to Seventh street 
was improved at a very large expense, thus placing this, the most desirable 
beach property on Santa Monica bay, on the market. The large amount of 
money expended by private parties in public improvements in the Palisades, 



232 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



as well as the hish order of buildings and improvements made by purchasers, 
added largely to the aggregate expenditures for the year. The Towner Terrace 
tract King between Eighth and Fourteenth streets, Front and Colorado, was 
another addition within the new cit\- limits which added to the population and 
wealth of the place. 

The building of the White Star pier, now known as Bristol pier, was com- 
pleted in |ulv and its attractions w^ere added to those of the other points of 
interest ou the beach. A good band was installed here and a number of " amuse- 
ments " provided, but there were now so many rival attractions that it was not 
a paying investment during its first season. A number of new business blocks 

were added to the business center 
during the year. The Odd Fel- 
lows hall, a substantial two-story 
brick ; the Guidinger block, on 
Third, north of Oregon ; the 
Bundy block, a three-story brick ; 
the Johnston block on Third, be- 
side two or three new business 
buildings on Oregon avenue were 
constructed. 

The organization of the Santa 
Monica Investment Company 
on February 27th was an 
important stc]) in the development which w^as marking the north side. 
This company was made up of leading business men and capitalists who 
proposed to buy. build, sell, lease and otherwise handle real estate. Its stock- 
holders included J. Euclid Miles, who was made manager of the enterprise; 
A\\ T. Ciillis. W. E. Sawtelle. T. Horace Dudley, E. H. Sweetser. George Boehme, 
E. W. Dike, N. R. Folsom, F. Niemann, R. R. Tanner, W. H. Dosing, J. P. 
Jones, Dr. N. H. Hamilton. Dr. J. S. Hunt, Frederick H. Rindge, B. A. Nebeker. 
H. X. Goetz, Roy Jones, Robert F. Jones. R. M. Miller, Sherman & Clark, 
George H. Hutton. The company at once purchased a tract on Fourth street, 
north of California, wdiicli they improved and built a block of six cottages upon. 
During the year they built a dozen pretty, modern cottages north of California 
street, thus providing what had long been needed, modern homes at reasonable 
rates for newcomers. During the year much property changed hands at a 
good figure and many handsome residences were erected. The Carnegie library 
was well under way on Oregon and the property on the corner of Third and 
Oregon had been purchased and the- handsome three-story lirick block for the 
Merchants' National Bank had been j^lanned. This new bank was organized 
in' May with T. H. Dudley president ; W. S. Vawter, vice-president ; George F. 
Doty, cashier; Carl F. Schader, Louis Blenkenhorn, W. C. Durgin. R. R. Tanner 




BRENTWOOD. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 233 

and William iAIeacl directors. It opened for business in the newly completed 
Columbia block about August ist. 

The Pacific Land Company placed on sale a tract of 400 acres lying- between 
Sawtelle and Twenty-sixth street and the W. T. Gillis Company reported sales 
during the year of over thirty pieces of property, ranging from a single lot to 
twenty-two acres and valued at $45,000. The establishment of a large brick 
and tile manufacturing plant added a solid factor to the resources of Santa 
Monica. A company was formed by R. F. Jones, W. T. Gillis, J. H. Spires, 
C. H. Sweet and R. M. Miller. They secured a tract of twenty-two acres of 
land and began putting up an extensive plant, known as the " Sunset Tile and 
Brick Companv." This later passed into the hands of the Los Angeles Pressed 
Brick Companv, one of the most extensive manufacturers of clay products in 
the state. The clays of Santa Monica had long been known to be superior; 
but it is now fully demonstrated that they are of the finest grade for the best 
class of pressed and vitrified brick and that they are also susceptible of being 
used for a fine grade of pottery, under proper handling. 

The consolidation of the United Electric, Gas and Power Company with 
the Edison Company this year put the lighting and heating of Santa Monica 
upon a more metropolitan basis and marked the end of any local interest in the 
company. An important industry inaugurated this year was the organization of 
a stock company, known as the Plant and Floral Company, to carry on a nursery 
business and deal in plants and cut flowers. Ten acres of land were secured near 
Oregon and Twenty-first streets, which were later increased to twenty acres, so 
successful was the enterprise, now known as the Golden State Plant Co. 

Another new industry, which has brought much wealth into the community 
was the culture of the Lima bean. It had been supposed until this year that 
Ventura county was the banner bean county and need fear no rival. But in 
if)02 R. C. Gillis made some experiments with bean culture on lands near the 
Soldiers' Home, which resulted in a net income of $40.00 per acre. As a con- 
sequence, Mr. Gillis leased 1500 acres of land to be put into beans in 1903, and 
it was estimated that nearly 8000 acres of beans were planted on lands lyhig 
between Los Angeles and the Santa Monica bay region. The yield was not so 
large as was expected, on account of the season being unfavorable ; yet the 
profits were large enough to justify a still larger acreage in 1904. The bean 
raising industry is now firmly established in this district and is one of the most 
important sources of revenue. The acreage of TO04 was estimated as 10,000 
acres and the yield was valued at $400,000. As the cultivation and harvesting 
is all done bv machinery, the percentage of profit is large and Los Angeles county 
is now closely ranking A^entura in the matter of bean culture. 

Street improvements were the order of the day during this year, over $72,000 
having been spent and contracts let for $40,000 more, according to the estimate 
of the Times, exclusive of the work done l)v private contract; 184 buiUling per- 
mits were granted, covering an expenditure of $265,000. The Dudley building 




W. T. GILLTS. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 235 

was in process of erection. The Santa Monica Bank was improving its building 
at a cost of over $12,000. The Carnegie Hbrary building was completed and 
occupied in July. The Hollister-avenue pleasure pier was under way, to extend 
900 feet from shore and to cost about $25,000. 

In the Pier-avenue district, much street work had been done and many 
improvements were made. The Hammel building, a three-story brick, cost 
about $20.000 ; the Hanniman and A^olk blocks each cost about $5000 ; the Powell 
building, the Wisconsin and Metropole, and the Maier & Zobelein buildings 
were all substantial structures. There was talk of a hundred thousand dollar 
hotel betw^een Navy and Marine avenues, which would place part of the building 
in Ocean Park and part in Santa Monica. This proposition was merely talk, 
however, until 1905, when the Hotel Decatur was finally built, thus giving this 
section a hostelry suited to its demands. After several attempts to secure a 
franchise, the Home Telephone Company began work in July under a permit, 
and a franchise was granted later in the year. 

The Municipal League had been revived and during the spring held a num- 
ber of meetings in which needed municipal improvements were discussed. 
Largely through the action of the league a bond issue was called for, to secure 
funds to build two fire engine houses, additional fire apparatus and a fire alarm 
svstem. The cost was estimated at $14,500. Included with this was a proposal 
for bonds to fill in around bridges No. i and 2 and build retaining walls at a 
cost of $14,250; to repair and extend the sewer system, and build septic tanks, 
$21,000; to improve Linda Vista, Seventh street and South Side parks, $20,250, 
and to construct water works and secure its own water plant, $150,000. After 
a short and not very enthusiastic campaign, the entire bond proposition was 
defeated on August i6th. It was. of course, solidly opposed by the district 
which it was proposed to include in Ocean Park, and this election gave a hint 
of the relative strength of the divisionists and the advocates of a " greater Santa 
Monica." 

The question of rej^airing the outfall sewer was now forced upon Santa 
Monica. There had been much discussion of possible sewage disposition during 
the year. Ocean Park was still using the Santa Monica outfall sewer, although 
the council had demanded that their sewer be cut off the first of August. In 
the meantime the new town was making desperate efforts to solve the problem. 
At one time it was proposed that a main trunk line be constructed along the 
beach to connect with the Los Angeles outfall. But this was blocked by the 
Playa del Rey interests and found impracticable, although Los Angeles was 
willing — for a consideration. The sewage farm method was also considered, 
but proved impracticable. So Ocean Park continued to depend upon Santa 
Monica for sewage disposal under the old agreement between the city and Kinney 
& Ryan, made December 28th, 1897, which permitted those land owners to con- 
nect with the Santa Monica outfall sewer. The singular reversal of conditions 
which has later made Santa Monica dependent upon Ocean Park for sewage 



236 HISTORY OF SANTA AlONICA BAY CITIES 

outfall is one of the many anomalies arising from the peculiar relations of the 
mother town and its ofifshoot. But Santa Monica maintained that the old agree- 
ment was with Messrs. Kinney & Ryan and not with the town of Ocean Park, 
antl in November, 1904, demanded a rental of $50.00 per month for the use of 
their outfall. As the rental was not forthcoming the city finally took steps to 
sue to collect the money. But the great storm of March, 1905, which almost 
destroyed the sewer wharf (at Pier avenue) and caused a break near shore in 
the sewer pipe, changed the aspect of matters. The Ocean Park bath house was 
newly completed and the discharge of sewage at Pier avenue proved dangerous 
to its success. The city trustees ordered the city engineer to temporarily repair 
the breaks ; but the complete restoration of the outfall required a sum which 
could onlv be obtained by a bond election and the bond election for that purpose 
having been defeated the previous August, another election for such bonds could 
not be called within the )ear. In February, Fraser and Jones had entered into 
a twentv-vear contract with the city for the use of the Pier-avenue wharf as 
the foundation for a pleasure wharf, they to keep the same in repair. But on 
the destruction of the wdiarf, Messrs. Fraser and Jones declined to keep the 
contract and there was no apparent prospect of the wharf being again rebuilt, 
imless the city was able to do it. 

The newlv incorporated town of Ocean Park had already voted bonds for 
a septic tank and sewer system and in order to save the situation at Pier avenue, 
the trustees of the town now offered Santa Monica the use of their new septic 
tank for six months, or until the older city could make some arrangements for 
caring for her sewage. After some discussion the Santa Monica trustees decided, 
June 27th. 1905, to accept this proposition. The new septic tank was not com- 
pleted as soon as was expected and rather than have the sewage turned into 
the sea at Pier avenue, it was turned into the Ocean Park mains and discharged 
on their dump — thus creating a nuisance which caused complaint from the people 
of South Ocean Park and Playa del Rey. 

In the meantime the matter of voting bonds for the repair and completion 
of the sewer system was again agitated in Santa Monica. The necessity of 
better fire protection was also urgent and October 31st, 1905, the city voted bonds 
to the amount of $100,000 to be expended — $37,500 for sewer system and septic 
tank; $6500 for repairing bridge No. 4 and for retaining walls for bridge No. i ; 
$17,500 for two fire engine houses, fire alarm system and apparatus: $to,ooo 
for garbage incinerator. It was supposed that this would settle the sewer ques- 
tion and soon result in relief for Ocean Park. But, after a careful consideration 
of the situation, it was found to be impossible to provide a septic tank and outfall 
sewer for the sum provided. As the residents of the Pier-avenue region were 
strongly opposed to the further use of the old outfall sewer. Santa Monica trus- 
tees continued to use the Ocean Park septic tank, now completed, and jmt in a 
pumping plant at Pier avenue to raise the sewage into the Ocean Park mains. 
But the new septic tank failed to deodorize the sewage, as was expected, and 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 237 

althon^"h a wharf and outfall extending into the sea was hnilt at Center street, 
there was still complaint of odoriferous breezes and other things, which finally 
culminated in a bitter factional fight in the city of Ocean Park, leading to the 
attempt to disincorporate the municipality, and which placed the city of Santa 
Monica in a most unpleasant predicament, as she was ordered by the courts to 
cease using the Ocean Park mains, while she had still no provision for caring 
for her own sewage. 

During tqo6 the garbage incinerator was completed for Santa Monica and 
various mains were constructed in preparation for the erection of a septic tank. 
But a suitable location for the septic tank and outfall system could not be found. 
The entire communitv was canvassed ; innumerable suggestions were made by 
the citizens, the council and by outsiders ; but no solution of the matter that 
promised to satisfy all was reached until September, 1907, when the board of 
trade presented a plan, which was adopted by the council and which promises 
to be a complete success. This was. in brief, the building of a substantial pier 
at the foot of Colorado street ; the location of a septic tank and pumping plant 
at the shore end of this wharf and the discharge of the outfall at the extremity, 
1700 feet from the shore. This plan met with approval all around and was 
ratified by the voting of $i6o,cx)o bonds for carrying it out, September 30th, 1907. 
Bids have been called for and the work will be pushed on the completion of 
the system as rapidly as is possible. 

It was natural that when Santa Monica found herself surrounded by a 
thicklv settled district which was demanding school facilities, she should begin 
to think of expansion. The demand for school buildings to accommodate the 
chilrlrcn of the Irwin Heights settlement and of the district east of Seventeenth 
street, led to the proposition to annex these districts to the city before attempting 
to vote bonds for school purposes. April i-jth. 1905, a mass meeting of citizens 
decided that at least two new school buildings must be provided, and that an 
election should be called to vote $60,000 bonds for that purpose. The board 
of trade immediately afterward proposed that the boundaries be extended from 
Eighth and Marine streets to Twenty-seventh and ]\Iontana avenue. A petition 
for annexation was presented by the people of the district and on August 29th, 
1905, an election was held which resulted in an addition which nearly doubled 
the size of the corporation. 

On September 12th the bond election was held and $60,000 was voted for 
schools. But after consideration, it was decided that it would be economy to 
construct the new buildings of brick and that at least three buildings were 
needed. December 9th $15,000 additional was voted to complete the three 
buildings. But expanison in population and territory was not enough. It was 
felt by many citizens and by the board of trade that an expansion in the form 
of city government would give greater advantages to the municipality. It would 
require the division of the citv into equitable wards, give the people a chance 
to govern themselves accordii-g to their own special needs, instead of under 




RALPH BANE. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 239 

state laws and give the municipality powers which it would not have under the 
incorporation as a city of the fifth class. In order to secure such a charter, a city 
must have a population of 3500 and to determine the present population of Santa 
Monica, the trustees ordered a special census. May 15th this census was com- 
pleted and a total of 7208 inhabitants reported. The charter must be prepared 
bv a board of fifteen freeholders, each of whom must have resided in the city 
and voted here for five years consecutively. They are to be elected by the 
people at a general or special election. A committee of the board of trade sub- 
mitted the following list of freeholders as candidates for election : T. H. Dudley, 
C. A. Stilson, George D. Snyder, R. R. Tanner, George H. Hutton, H. X. Goetz, 
W. I. Hull, A. M. Jamison, W. S- Vawter, Robert F. Jones, D. G. Holt, B. A. 
Nebeker, E. I. Vawter, Roy Jones, A. N. Archer. This was known as a non- 
partisan ticket. A " citizens' " ticket was also put up, but seven of the nominees 
declined to serve and three of those left were on the non-partisan ticket, which 
was elected bv a large majority at a special election held October i8th, 1905. 

November 3rd the board organized for duty, C. A. Stilson was made presi- 
dent and committees on law, boundaries, offices, public utilities, taxation and 
election, education and libraries, were announced. After several weeks of stren- 
uous work on the part of the board of freeholders, the proposed charter was 
submitted to the consideration of the people in January, 1906. There was some 
opposition to certain of its terms — it was held that it too greatly centralized 
power ; but it was felt that generally its provisions were wise and that it was 
best to adopt it. At the election March 28th, 1906, the instrument was adopted 
by a vote of 376 for to 183 against. At the same time the uninhabited territory 
known as the " Palisades " was annexed to the city and the uniform shade-tree 
act was adopted. 

Santa Monica, with her new charter, with an area of eleven square miles ; 
with an assessment which increased from $3,830,677.00 in 1905 to $6,523,186.00 
in 1906; with her rapidly growing population; with ample school facilities, the 
best streets in the country and as fine public buildings as are to be found in any 
city of the same size, was now fairly on the way to become the ideal city of 
homes. 

The building of a new brick manufacturing plant by an eastern corporation, 
the Simmons Brick Co., added largely to the clay manufacturing possibilities. 
A large sum was expended in improved machinery and in buildings. To this 
company and to the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company plant were awarded 
the contract for furnishing 18,000,000 brick required for the Los Angeles outfall 
sewer. Another company was also formed this year to utilize the Santa Monica 
clays in making pottery, but this industry is not yet established. It is only a 
question of proper handling, however, as it has been demonstrated that Santa 
Monica clays have no superior for fine work, in the hands of experienced workers. 

Among the incidents of the vear mav be mentioned the visits of the Knights 



240 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



of Coliimljus, a national Catholic ort^anization, the members of whom were 
rovally entertained bv Santa Monicans and carried away golden memories of 
this citv by the sea. One of the worst iires on record in the city took place 
September qth when Budy's livery stable on Third near Utah, was burned and 
six horses lost their lives, while a large quantity of hay was destroyed. On 
June 4t]i the city was startled by the news that their postoffice had been robbed 
of more than $3000 worth of cash, stamps and registered mail matter. This was 
one of a series of exceedingly bold ])ostoffice robberies which occurred during 
this summer. 

1906. 

During this }ear a determined effort was made to improve the streets of 
Santa Monica by the latest methods of oiling and surfacing. In pursuance of 
this object about 12,000 barrels of oil were used and many streets which had 

hitherto been dusty in summer 
and muddy in winter became 
practically as hard and clean as 
paved streets. The Santa Monica 
system of oil-paved streets be- 
came widely known and was 
rated as having an important 
bearing on the problem of road 
construction. This method was 
used in improving San Vicente 
road, the new boulevard from 
the Soldiers' Home to Ocean 
avenue. This street was 130 
feet wide, with the trolley lines in the center, was curbed and lined with trees 
and when completed made one of the finest drives in the county. It was pro- 
posed to extend Sunset boulevard and improve it to connect with this new road. 
There was also much talk during the year of a finely improved boulevard from 
\\'ashington street, I.os Angeles, to Ocean Park to join the Del Rey speedway. 
A scheme for a boulevard to extend southward along the coast to Redondo and 
thence to San Pedro was also proposed and discussed, but has not yet materialized. 
Much talk of the Gould line which was supposed to be coming down the coast 
via the Malibu road which was in course of construction, and which would give 
Santa Monica a new " transcontinental " line, was indulged in. There was 
also much talk of Huntington purchasing everything in sight and building a 
new trolley line to Los Angeles — all of which served to fill the papers. 

One of the most beautiful suburbs of Santa Monica, located just to the 
north and within view of the ocean, is Brentwood Park. This is a tract of sev- 
eral hundred acres which has been highlv improved. Streets have been graded 
and oiled, curbs and gravel walks laid and many hundreds of trees and shrubs 




BRENTWOOD PARK. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 241 

planted out. Water is piped to every lot and electric lights have been installed. 
A number of handsome homes have been built here. 

In January the Odd Fellows dedicated their handsome new building on 
Third street and January 31st the Merchants' National Bank moved into its 
own quarters in the Dudley block, a structure that would do credit to any city. 
The Kensington apartments, an attractive apartment house containing all the 
latest devices for comfort, was built on the ocean front south of the Arcadia, at 
a cost of $15,000. Several new blocks were put up on Pier avenue. The build- 
ing permits from January to June reached the sum of $194,277, aside from the 
three new school buildings, which were to cost $75,000, and the $50,000 pavilion 
at Pier avenue. Two new fire engine houses were also constructed and 
the garbage incinerator completed. One of the most notable improvements of 
the year was the Santa Monica hospital building, which was begun, after long 
planning, and was completed in the spring of 1907. This is a handsome two- 
story brick structure, standing on a commanding eminence on South Fourth 
street. It is completely equipped in the most modern style and is fast taking 
rank as one of the leading hospitals of the south coast- The handsome two-story 
brick building which took the place of the old Sixth-street school house was 
completed and occupied in the spring of 1907, as was also the Roosevelt school 
building on the Palisades. 

1907. 

The most important advance of this year has been the final action in the 
matter of sewage disposal. After long agitation a plan which seemed to the 
majority to be feasible and desirable was suggested and on September 30th bonds 
to the amount of $150,000 were voted for the building of a 1700- foot pier at the 
foot of Colorado avenue which will carry the outfall sewer pipe from the septic 
tank at the foot of Colorado avenue. A number of other improvements will 
follow the completion of this wharf. During the year building permits to the 
amount of $250,000 were granted. These included the $10,000 addition to the 
M. E. church ; a new garbage incinerator, the new postoffice building and many 
private residences. The Santa Monica Development Company is engaged in 
the construction of a large reservoir, for impounding additional water for the 
city supply, in Sepulveda caiion. It will have a capacity of about two million 
gallons and will cost $75,000. An independent gas company has been organized 
and promises to become a factor in the situation. The demand for real estate, 
while not so active as during previous years, has been steady and property in 
" old Santa Monica " continues steadily to increase in desirability. 

The city of Santa Monica, after passing through many stages of develop- 
ment, is now a clean, well ordered, and most attractive place of residence. At 
present it has no hotel, no first-class restaurant and offers few attractions to the 
transient, or the crowd ; but it draws a constantly increasing number of perma- 

16 




A. F. TOHNSTOX. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 243 

nent residents of the better class; while attractive cottages and apartments are 
filled by the people who wish to pass a restful season at the beach. 

The; Visit of the AtlaxNTic Squadron. 

The visit of a fleet of sixteen first-class war vessels of the United States 
navy, m April, 1908, was one of the greatest events in the history of the coast. 
Elaborate preparations for the reception and entertainment of the guests were 
made and Santa lAIonica and Ocean Park took an active part in the occasion. 
An executive committee consisting of David Evans, chairman; Abbot Kinnev 
R. A. Phillips, VV. T. Wheatley, Mayor T. H. Dudley, R. W. Armstrong and 
H. B. Eakin, was appointed. It was largely through the efl:'orts of this^body 
that the arrangement was made to divide the fleet and station it at different 
points. As a result of this plan the third division, consisting of the Maine, 
Ohio, lAIissouri and Minnesota, anchored off these shores for a week. 

The citizens of the Bay region, under the direction of various committees 
elaborately decorated streets and buildings ; planned entertainments for men and 
officers and were hosts to thousands of visitors. Balls for the enlisted men were 
given in the pavilions and a most elaborate ball was arranged for the officers 
at the country club. The W. C. T. U., under Mrs. HestheV T. Griffith, main- 
tamed headquarters at \'enice for the sailors and the ladies of the Bay cities 
welcomed the guests with masses of flowers and manv courtesies. Friday, April 
23rd, was observed as a legal holiday and was given up to entertaining the guests. 
On Saturday, April 24th, the entire squadron, in the presence of the largest 
crowd ever assembled on Santa Monica Bay shores, maneuvered and then safled 
silentlv awav to the north. 



AxxuAL Assessment of City of Santa Moni 



CA. 



^^^7 $2,405,048.00 1897 1,869,132.00 

'^^^ 2,351,108.00 1898 1,871,588.00 

'^^9 1,807,228.00 i8cj9 1,896.844.00 

^^90 1.771.332-00 1900 1,910,158.00 

^^91 1-565.773-00 1901 1,991,310.00 

^^92 1,648,846.00 1902 2,220,431.00 

^^93 1,654,274.00 1903 2,887,574-00 

^^94 1.705.467.00 1904 3,472,124.00 

^^95 1,830,503.00 1905 ^^_8^q5^^_qq 

^^96 1,799.545-00 1906 6,523,086.00 

1907 7,886,310.00 



CHAPTER VI. 

South Santa Monica and Ocean Park. 

WHEN the town site of Santa IMonica was laid out it was surrounded by 
a very large area of unbroken and unoccupied territory. The great San 
Vicente ranch was mostly devoted to sheep pasturage. A few native 
Californians cultivated small tracts on the Boca de Santa Monica ; but that tract 
was also largely devoted to sheep grazing. On La Ballona, Anderson Rose and 
one or two others had begun to farm and the Machados raised some grain, but 
the greater portion of the tract was uncultivated. 

In 1874 Mrs. Nancy A. "Lucas, a wealthy widow, with three sons, purchased 
a tract of 861 acres from the ATachados. This joined the San Vicente on the 
north and extended as far south as the present city limits of the city of Santa 
Monica, the line having followed the lines of the Lucas tract. The price paid 
was $14.00 per acre. Mrs. Lucas at once began to improve her property 
and in 1875 she erected a house on the highest point of her ranch — the hill 
between what is now Strand and Hill streets and Third and Fourth. The 
house was an ambitious two-story affair, costing some $12,000, and was for 
years the finest residence in the vicinity of Santa Monica and a landmark of 
note until its destruction by fire in December, 1904. 

Her sons farmed on a large scale, raising fine crops of barley on the place. 
Two of them opened a lumber yard in Santa Monica and they were prominently 
connected with affairs in the early days of the community. In 1881, Mrs. Lucas, 
who was rather eccentric and lived on the place much of the time alone except 
for her Chinese cook, died suddenly under circumstances which gave rise to 
suspicion and much comment. She was said to have died from the effects of 
strychnine poisoning, supposedly used for killing rats. The property passed 
into the hands of her heirs and was soon broken up. The house, with three 
acres of land, was sold to Miss Mary Green, in her day known as one of the 
most beautiful women in California. She soon afterward married Dan Mooney, 
a well-known character of early days. He had been a miner in Arizona and 
had acquired considerable fortune. They took up their residence in the Lucas 
house which was thereafter known as the " Mooney Mansion." 

August T7th, 1885, Mr. and Mrs. Mooney started to drive to Los Angeles. 
While on the way, Mr. Mooney 's pistol fell from his pocket and inflicted a 
mortal wound in his back. Later Mrs. Moonev married Col. A. B. Hotchkiss, 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 245 

a well-known and brilliant attorney, who was for many years a Southern Pacific 
representative. He was also the editor of a magazine, Public Resources, which 
did some effective work in advertising the country. He died April 3rd, 1905. 
Col. and Mrs. Hotchkiss owned and, at times, occupied the Mooney Mansion 
until its destruction. Many romantic tales have been set afloat at one time 
and another about the old house which stood alone in state upon the hill over- 
looking the ocean for so many years. Its burning was also mysterious — so 
mysterious that the insurance companies refused to pay up without a lawsuit. 

In 1875 Mrs. Lucas sold a fifty-acre tract, adjoining the new town and 
fronting the ocean, to Ivar A. Weid, a well-known Los Angeles capitalist. He 
at once advertised, " South Santa Monica — Five minutes' walk from the new 
Wharf. Block No. 4, with Ocean Frontage of 370 feet." Later he changed his 
ad to, " SOUTH SANTA MONICA, Lots 60x150 feet. Villa Sites purchased 
by Judges Bicknell and Glassell, Captain Thom, and others." In March, 1876, 
the Outlook announces that Captain Thom had sent down a carload of shrub- 
bery to be planted on his place at South Santa Monica. March 22nd, 1876, 
this item appears in the Outlook: 

" Improvements are progressing rapidly over at South Santa Monica. 
Major JMitchell, Captain Thom and Judges Bicknell and Glassell are all build- 
ing and planting trees. We understand that General Stoneman and Major 
Hancock will begin building within a few days. A well has been sunk and a 
windmill and tank erected which is the common property of several lot owners. 
C. H. Edwards & Co., of Los Angeles, are planting the shrubbery and making 
an excellent job of it." This little settlement, which seems to have had rather 
a military flavor, remained for some years the most exclusive and fashionable 
beach resort in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Some of these old cottages still 
remain on the bluff and are surrounded by fine trees. The Thom place with 
its luxuriant growth of trees and shrubbery is still kept up. 

Another early settlement in South Santa Monica was the Central tract, 
laid out by J. W. Scott in 1876. A number of giant eucalyptus still remain of 
the trees planted by him at this time. 

A portion of the Lucas ranch was divided into twenty-acre blocks by E. 
H. Lucas, one of the sons. A number of these were sold in the early eighties 
to various parties, including several Englishmen. The land was fertile and 
water was easily obtained by putting down wells and some prosperous little 
ranches were established here. Among these early settlers were Walter H. 
Wrenn, Nathan Bundy, Thomas Carlisle. Joseph and John Bontty. In 1884 
the Vawters purchased 100 acres of the Lucas lands, lying south of Hollister 
avenue and east of the electric tracks. They paid $40.00 per acre for it. and 
in 1887 disposed of about half of it for a large sum. In 1886. the Crippens, a 



246 HISTORY UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

real estate firm of Los Angeles, bought 350 acres, extending from Eighth street 
east and to the San Vicente ranch line. In December this was put upon the 
market as East Santa Monica, villa lots of two and one-half acres being offered 
for $500.00, although the land had been sold the previous year for $40.00 
an acre. 

The boom struck this portion of Santa ^Monica with considerable force. 
The \'awters sold the Santa Fe tract of 53 acres to R. R. Taniier and Thomas 
A. Lewis, who put down a well, subdivided into lots, put in sidewalks and 
advertised an auction sale to take place August loth, 1887. The highest price 
paid for one of these lots was $725.00. Houses were built on the tract bv T. 
A. Lewis, Messrs. Tanner, W. S. A'awter and others. In March, the Wave 
Crest tract was put on sale with an auction, and the newspapers report sales to 
amount of $52,490.00 for 90 lots. H. L. Jones subdivided a tract to which he 
gave the name of Ocean Spray, 120 lots, which met with ready sale. The 
Arcadia, Ocean View, Commercial Company's tract and others were opened 
up during this period and a large number of improvements were made. George 
Kintz built the Crystal Springs bath house and plunge during the latter part 
of '87, and the Ballona and Santa Monica road was incorporated, to build a 
standard guage road from the Port of Ballona to Santa Monica, a distance of 
seven miles. M. L. Wicks, J. Bernard, Jr., and James Campbell were among 
the incorporators. Work was at this time being pushed on what was fondly 
hoped to be the terminus of the Santa Fe road at Ballona, and Santa Monica 
was strong in the hope of a new " transcontinental "' line. 

But after the sudden rise in values in 1887 and 1888, came a depression 
when progress was at a standstill ; many of the town lots lapsed into acreage 
property and there was little sale for acreage even, although the drop in prices 
^vas not so noticeable here as in many localities. South Santa Monica, although 
included as far east as Eighth street in the city boundaries, as adopted in 1886, 
was still a rural community with scattered residences and dusty roads. The 
street car line had been extended from Santa Monica to the city limits in 1887. 
but the service w'as infrequent and slow. 

In the spring of 1889 the Ostrich Farm was established at South Santa 
Monica. A tract of seven acres, known as the " Santa Monica Tract," was 
fenced in and thirty-four birds, with the nucleus of what was intended to be a 
menagerie, were brought here from Kenilworth, in the Cahuenga vallev, where 
they had been located. In 1882, Dr. Charles S. Sketchley. an Englishman who 
had been engaged in ostrich farming in South Africa, came to California and 
selected a site near Anaheim as the best location he could find in California for 
an ostrich farm. His attem])t here was so successful that about 1885 a syndicate 
was formed and Dr. Skctchlev was sent again to Africa to secure new birds. He 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 247 

returned with thirty-four fine birds which were placed on the Los Feliz rancho 
in the Cahuenga foothills. A park and menagerie were planned and it was 
hoped to make this one of the leading attractions of Los Angeles. In 1887 the 
Ostrich Farm railway was built to Burbank and Kenilworth as the station at 
the Ostrich Farm was named ; but this location proved too out of the wav and 
the venture was not a financial success. Then South Santa Monica was chosen 
as a more accessible spot, offering other attractions as well. 

About thirty birds were brought here under the management of Mr. 
Henry Beauchamp, also English. But the Outlook states that Mr. Beauchamp 
was a " Moody and Sankey convert " and refused to keep his place open on 
Sundays, " which is good religion but poor business." After a couple of 
years the ostriches were removed to a new location near the Southern Pacific 
depot and under the management of Mr. Harold Perry, the place was made 
very attractive. Later Mr. Frank Ellis became manager, and in 1893 sold six 
birds to Sells circus, which were declared by the circus people to be the finest 
ostriches they had ever seen. Many old resident will remember the chase 
which followed the escape of a full grown African bird from the enclosure. 
The frantic creature, after being driven over the hills in the vicinitv of the 
Soldiers' Home was finally headed homeward, only to dash past the farm, into 
the ocean — to its death. About 1895 the remaining birds were removed to 
Anaheim and this attraction ceased to be counted among the charms of South 
Santa Monica. 

Up to 1890 this section had no school facilities and the children were 
obliged to attend the Sixth street school in Santa ]\Ionica — a long and difficult 
journey. After a good deal of discussion and several petitions for relief, the 
school trustees finally decided. February. 1890, to establish a school in South 
Santa Monica. 

February 25th, 1888, the board of school trustees voted to purchase two 
lots, 12 and 13 of the Santa Fe tract, at $1,000.00 each. Nothing further in 
reference to providing a school for the south side appears until February loth, 
1890, when the minutes state that a proposition was received from E. Emerson, 
to build a house at South Santa Monica suitable for school purposes and to 
rent the same to the district for six months at a rental of $50.00 per month. 
This proposition was accepted by the board and February 28th they elected 
Miss Ellen L. Huie as teacher, at a salary of $60.00 per month. What happened 
in the interim does not appear but on the records under date of March 4th, all 
the " above action " is rescinded, and Miss Huie was allowed $7.50 to reimburse 
her for her expenses in coming to Santa ^lonica. At a special meeting of the 
board held August 21st, 1890, Miss Huie was again employed to teach " the 
south side " school at a salary of $50.00 per month, the " school to be discontinued 
at the pleasure of the board." 



248 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

A small school house was built on the school lots, probably during the 
summer of 1890. In August, 1895, a special tax of $1,500.00 was voted to build 
a school house on the " south side " and a one-room building was put up and 
in the fall was occupied, with Miss Alice M. Frazier as teacher. 

Early in the seventies an Englishman, Col. Hutchinson, loaned money to 
the Machados. taking mortgages upon various pieces of land as security. One 
of these was a narrow strip of beach frontage extending from Strand street to 
the southern limits of La Ballona grant. This strip of sand was supposed to 
be worthless for any purpose, unless a wharf for commercial purposes could be 
built from it. Apparently the belief was general that the only thing needed 
to make a commercial city of Santa Monica was a wharf where vessels might 
land. After the abandonment of the " old wharf," in 1878, five acres of land 
were donated by Mrs. Lucas and others and Jiian Bernard began the construction 
of a wharf which is was fondly hoped might restore Santa Monica to the ship- 
ping lists of the Pacific coast. But the structure was never completed and no 
boat ever landed there. In 1888, Messrs. Lewis and Van Every proposed to 
build a wharf from the foot of Bicknell avenue and in 1891 the proposition 
of the Terminal Wharf Company came up, various grants and concessions being 
made in consequence ; but no wharf was built. 

In 1892 the Santa Fe and Santa Monica railroad was incorporated and 
proceeded to secure a right of way from Inglewood to Santa Monica. A 
concession of twelve acres of land was made them by the Terminal Wharf Com- 
pany and Kinney and Ryan, on condition that the company expend at least 
$15,000 in improvements, including a wharf and a pavillion. Considerable 
difficulty was met with in obtaining the right of way, condemnation proceedings 
being necessary in some cases; but a strip 130 feet wide was finally secured from 
the city limits to the Southern Pacific reservation. A depot was located near 
the Ostrich Farm and on June i8th, 1892, the Santa Fe brought in its first 
train, with a widely advertised excursion to the " Coney Island of the Pacific.'" 
Later a building known as " the pavilion " was erected on Hill street and a 
cement sidewalk laid to the ocean front. 

A group of trees on land near this depot was then known as Vawter Park : 
with the Ostrich Farm, the new pavilion, and the many beach improvements 
being made by Messrs. Abbot Kinney and F. G. Ryan, who had lately secured 
title to the Hutchinson property on the ocean front, South Santa Monica began 
to count itself as a " resort." 

The Outlook for May 6th, 1893. says: "It is quite lively on the South 
Side. Three new cottages have just been completed on the Santa Monica tract, 
to be given away with the lots distributed on the first of June. A number of 
summer residences are either completed or in course of construction. The land 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 249 

company is now piUting down a plank walk from the tract across the sand 
hills to the sea, and it is on the programme to begin the construction of a 
bath house at an early date. Altogether we can safely say that the ' South 
Side ' will be in the swim this summer." 

The houses alluded to were built by Messrs. Kinney and Ryan on their 
Santa Monica tract and were given away with lots sold by distribution. Prices 
were $100.00 per lot, on easy terms. 

In the spring of 1893 the Young Men's Christian Association of Southern 
California, after considerable discussion and looking about, decided to accept 
the proposition of Messrs. Kinney and Ryan to donate them a strip of land 
between the Santa Fe tract and ocean, 250 feet on ocean front and extending 
back to the Santa Fe right of way, about five acres included. June 21st, the 
Young Men's Christian Association Ocean Park Company was duly organized 
with a capital stock of $10,000, and the following incorporators: J. C. Salisbury, 
M. H. Merriman, F. H. Rindge, A. D. Childress, S. H. Wheeler, A. A. Adair, 
of Riverside; Charles E. Day, president; R. G. Lunt, vice-president; George 
W. Parsons, secretary; F. M. Potter, treasurer; O. T. Johnson, J. H. Brawley, 
W. F. Bosbyshell, C. C. Reynolds, Lyman Stewart, and other prominent men 
of Southern California In announcing its decision, the incorporators give as 
reasons for their selection : " The land is about three- fourths of a mile south 
of Arcadia Hotel, is close to the railroad station of the great Santa Fe route, 
which reaches nearly every hamlet and village in Southern California. It has 
a fine, clean, sandy beach, of gentle slope, making a safe and delightful place for 
bathing. Near this land is a fine 70 by 1000 feet grove, with pavilion erected 
therein, making a pleasant place for a picnic and the only accessible place 
where a grove and the beach are so close together. A fine wharf will be con- 
structed close to this land in the near future, when the coast steamers will connect 
with the Santa Fe route for all points on their line. It will be one of the most 
popular lines between Los Angeles and Catalina Island." Which shows that 
the Y. M. C. A. people were no better at prophesying future results than the 
sanguine " wharf boomers " of Santa Monica. 

In consideration of the donation by Messrs. Kinney and Ryan and Messrs. 
V^awter, the " Ocean Park Company ", named from the eucalyptus grove of the 
\"awters, was to build a commodious bath house and an auditorium, which it 
was expected would be the scene of many religious conventions and assemblies. 
The bath house was built during the summer and many new cottages were put 
up. In July an auction sale of lots took place, 80 lots, 25 by 100 feet, being sold 
at about $45.00 apiece. 

During this summer St. David's Mission, Episcopalian, held services in 



250 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

the school house and the South Santa Monica Baptist Mission was organized 
by Rev. H. S. Baker, and in 1894 the Baptist chapel was erected. 

In May, 1895, Kinney and Ryan named their settlement " Ocean Park "' 
and the Santa Fe giving- this name to their station, the existence of the district 
of Ocean Park may be said to date from this year. The Y. M. C. A. people 
put up some new buildings this summer and Kinney and Ryan put in a half 
mile of beach sidewalk, the first on the beach and a greatly appreciated improve- 
ment. In September, the Santa Fe fulfilled its promise of a wharf bv putting 
in a new type in such structures, using iron pipe for piles. It was located about 
300 feet south of Hill street and was only 500 feet in length, and thus the 
connection with the great world, which had been hoped for, was again delaved. 

The Y. M. C. A. and the summer visitors were favored by many pleasant 
entertainments, concerts and lectures during this season and Ocean Park began 
to be regarded as a most desirable location for those who wished a quiet and 
inexpensive summer outing. Man}- lots were leased or purchased and many 
modest cottages were put up as summer homes. These first beach cottages 
were very simple affairs — a long box of upright boards, with a couple of parti- 
tions, being the usual pattern. At this time there were few buildings south of 
Hill street and the " hills " were still the favorite place of residence. A cluster of 
small business buildings had grown up about the street car terminus and the 
Santa Fe station. 

Ocean Park, although within the corporate limits of Santa Alonica, had 
not been supplied with water by the municipality. Messrs. Kinney and Ryan- 
had their own water supply piped to the beach ; but the people on other tracts 
began to discuss the advisability of having a water system and in December, 
1895, the " City Water Company " was formed, with a capital stock of $20,000, 
and with J. H. Claudius. E. J. Vawter, D. M. Clark, G. R. Green and E. J. 
Vawter, Jr., as incorporators. Its object was to supply South Santa Monica- 
with water and to secure this wells were put down on the \"awter tract and pipes 
laid through the district. This company was later succeeded by the Ocean Park 
Water Company. 

On June 30th, 1896, the first electric car made its initial trip through South 
Santa Monica, after a day of strenuous labor on the part of the employees and 
officials of the Los Angeles and Pacific electric line. Their subsidy of $5,000, 
given b}- W. S. and E. J. Vaw-ter, for what was known as the " loop line," 
expired at midnight of June 30th. and the work had been delayed to the last 
possible moment. At 9:55 p.m., the first car left the corner of Ocean and 
Oregon avenues and, after crossing the bridge, ran down Second street to Hill 
street, thence eastward to Fourth and returned to Ocean avenue. The car and 
its occupants were given an informal but none the less hearty welcome by the 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 251 

South Siders, who felt that at last they were to be brought into touch with the 
world (North Beach). The coming of the electric line was, indeed, a great 
advance for this settlement which had been so long hampered by poor trans- 
portation facilities. This year Santa Monica began to talk seriously of the 
sewage problem and proposed to locate its outfall at a point south of the ch\ 
limits. From this time on date the sewer troubles of the beach. 

In Jul}" an old-time auction sale with all its accompaniments, took place, 
H. L. Jones reviving his " Ocean Spray '" tract which had been first exploited 
in 1887 and going one better on the methods of boom days by offering " one lot 
free to the luck}- holder of a thirty round-trip ticket." At this time the Santa 
Fe was giving transportation at very reasonable rates to prospective purchasers 
of Ocean Park propert}-. Ben E. ^^ ard, now of lamented memory, was the 
auctioneer and eighty-eight lots were disposed of by his beguiling words — 
and the very real attractions of the location. 

May 3rd, 1897, witnessed a serious loss to Ocean Park in the burning of 
the Y. M. C. A. auditorium, a large two-story building, which had cost about 
$3,000 when erected in 1893. This was a misfortune as plans had already been 
made for the most elaborate exercises yet held by the Y. M. C. A. assemblv 
during the coming season. The loss was complete as there was no water to 
save the property, after the fire, which was evidently incendiarv, was discovered. 
There was no insurance; but Mr. Day, president of the Ocean Park Company, 
was equal to the occasion. He at once set about securing new quarters and in 
August the University Assembly, with a full program of excellent speakers 
and music, was successfully carried out. Among the speakers were Bishop 
Fallows, of New York, and Professor Syle, of the State University. Miss 
Ida Benfey gave a number of dramatic readings and a series of brilliant 
their summer guests appeared to find the attractions of the surf and the military 
concerts were presented. But, it must be confessed that Santa Monicans and 
encampment, the tennis court and polo races greater than such a feast of reason 
and culture and the assembly was not a financial success. 

In ]May the new City Water Company turned the water into a mile and a 
half of mains, the water coming from two wells and being stored in a 50,000 
gallon tank. Thus, at last, the South Side hills had an adequate water supply 
and a chance at fire protection. The electric light svstem was also extended 
to Ocean Park this year and added to the metropolitan claims of the new 
resort. Many new buildings, including several stores, a ten-room house erected 
by Mrs. Bernard, forty or more beach cottages were added this year. 

Ocean Park had now become ambitious. She had grown so rapidly and 
attained such distinction that the citizens felt themselves entitled to ever}- 
advantage enjoyed by the "other side." The South Santa ]^Ionica Municipal 



252 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

League was organized to " promote all measures ♦:hat will benefit the city ; to 
encourage all improvements, both public and private, to oppose saloons and 
disreputable places in South Santa Monica," etc. A Ladies' Mutual Benefit 
Association was also organized, its main object being to build a hall for public 
meetings and use, a lot having been donated by Kinney and Ryan for the purpose. 
All of these efforts added to the natural advantages offered and the spirit of 
enterprise which had been shown in developing what had seemed an almost 
worthless territory, brought about a development that became one of the 
phenomena of the times. 

Oce;an Park District. 

The settlement known as Ocean Park was separated from Santa Monica 
by the arroyo and the wide unimproved tract belonging to the Southern Pacific 
reservation. This w-as unfortunate, as it made communication between the 
two points difHcult. The Santa Fe service was irregular ; the horse car line 
and its successor, the electric line, gave infrequent service ; the drive over 
dusty, ungraded roads, and rickety bridges was not tempting, and the walking 
through a mile of sand or dust was certainly not attractive. The settlement 
about the Santa Fe depot and the Y. 'SI. C. A. holdings was largely made up of 
transient visitors from the interior, who rented cottages, or buih upon leased 
lands. They seldom visited Santa Monica and scarcely realized that they were 
within that municipality. It was natural that they should object to the long 
journey to the postofBce and begin to express a desire for a postofBce of their 
own. During 1898 the subject was .agitated and promises secured, although the 
ofifice did not open for business until July, 1899. 

This year Kinney and Ryan opened the Ocean Park race track and golf 
links, which were improved by grading and planting a large number of trees. 
One of the first golf tournaments held in California took place on these links 
when they w^ere opened to the public, in July, 1898. The same gentlemen had 
contracted with the city trustees to build a wharf on the piling used to carry the 
outfall sewer. This wharf was located at what was known as Pier avenue and 
was completed in August. It was 1,250 feet in length and aft'orded a fine 
opportunity to fishermen and pleasure seekers. The proprietors invited the 
public to a free barbecue and clambake on the evening of Monday, August 
29th, which was attended by a big crowd who enjoyed the feast, music, speeches 
and dancing. 

By coincidence, the old Santa Fe wharf was condemned by the city trustees 
on the day the new wharf was opened and a few days later the old wharf was 
practically destroyed by a storm. The completion of the new wharf stimulated 
the building of the long proposed beach walk connecting the Kinney and Ryan 
walk with Santa Monica. The Southern Pacific began by constructing a board 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 253 

walk, i6 feet wide, in front of its property from Railroad avenue to the Crystal 
plunge, and the North Beach Company followed with a walk connecting this 
and the bath house. The city and citizens later built walks and thus about 1902 
easy communication was at last established between the " north side " and the 
" south side." 

The " Ocean View," an eighteen-room hotel, was built by G. H. Strong, 
and was opened July loth, with a spread; but only a few days later the new 
hotel was destroyed by fire. Ocean Park suffered much during its early history 
from fires which seemed to be, in many ca-^^s, incendiary and which were very 
destructive on account of the lack of fire-fightmg appliances and water. A few 
weeks later the store of Chambers & Co. was burned with its stock of groceries. 
There was a long dispute over the insurance in this case and a good deal of 
feeling was aroused by the circumstances. 

The Methodist church began holding services in the Santa Fe depot in 
October, with Rev. Robert S. Fisher as pastor; in August, 1899, the church 
was organized as the South Santa ^Monica M. E. church ; the old Methodist 
chapel was donated to them by the North Side church and removed to its 
present location on Lake street. 

1899. 

The untimely death of Francis G. Ryan, of the firm of Kinney & Ryan, 
who had practically created Ocean Park, led to a change and in 1899 T., H. 
Dudlev married Mrs. Ryan and became interested with Mr. Kinney in the 
development of the now promising beach resort. Aggressive advances were 
made in the spring of this year. The Outlook of March loth says: " All told, 
there are now 200 cottages on this property, a great many of which were erectetl 
last year. There are now some ten or twelve in process of erection and contracts 
for new ones are being made every week. These cottages are not mere shacks, 
but will be neat and commodious, costing all the way from $350 to $1000. 
Thev are being put up by first-class tenants, mostly professional and business 
men from Los Angeles. Water is supplied from the city water works and 
electric lights are being put into the more pretentious structures. Beach lots 
are rented at about $15 per year to those who will put up neat and substantial 
cottages. No land is sold outright, but long leases are given." 

Messrs. Kinney and Dudley purchased the old Y. M. C. A. bath house 
this year, moved it a block south and refitted it. In Jnly, Pier avenue was 
opened, Kinney and Dudley giving a deed to the necessary land to the city. 
The first building put up was a bowling alley, situated near the beach and 
carried on by Mr. J. G. Holborow. July 28th the post office of " Oceanpark " 
was opened for business. This oflice had been secured after a long and hard 
contest bv Mr. Kinnev, it being the onlv instance of two separate post offices 



254 HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

establishctl within a single numicipalit}'. ^Jr. L. \>. Osborne was the first post- 
master and the office was located in his grocery store on Second street. 

This year Air. E. J. Vawter began the development of the carnation beds 
which liave become one of Santa Alonica's best-known industries. He devoted 
fifteen acres of land on South Fourth street to the culture of flowers, mostly 
carnations and roses. A 5,000-gallon tank stored water for irrigation of the 
tract. The soil and conditions proved to be favorable for the production of the 
finest varieties and the venture proved most successful. Large green houses 
and increased acreage are now devoted to the propagation of flowers which are 
marketed in Los Angeles and shipped to distant points. Many street improve- 
ments were made during this year and Kinney and Dudley planted out nearly 
twenty acres to trees, using 10,000 eucalyptus trees alone, in the vicinity of 
the race track. 

1900. 

Early in the season improvements began to multiply in " Oceanpark " as 
the growing settlement was now officially known, although it was in reality a 
part of the city of Santa Monica and more properly " South Santa Monica." 
The Santa Fe company astonished its tenants, who had erected cottages on 
leased lots, by ordering them to vacate at once ; the unfortunate cottage owners 
had to hustle to find new locations for their buildings. The company leveled 
the ground and made some imjjrovements ; but in August it was announced 
that the entire South Santa Monica holdings of the Santa Fe company had been 
l^urchased by Messrs. Hart and Eraser, of Los Angeles. The new proprietors 
named the tract " Central Beach " and immediately began grading and putting 
streets through it. The first street opened through and paved between the beach 
and the railroad tracks was India, now Hill street. In a short time lots on the 
ocean front were selling for $1,000, and lots on the side streets at from $300 up. 
Building restrictions were put on the property, which included 185 lots, 25 by 
100 feet in size, extending from Hart avenue on the north to Grand on the 
south and between the beach and the railway tracks. 

In February the Oceanpark Fire Company was organized with A. N. 
Archer, president ; J. H. Hassinger. secretary and treasurer ; William Menzies, 
foreman ; C. J. Marvin and J. Rudisill, assistants. A " bucket brigade " was 
organized, later a hose cart and hose was procured. In 1902, Mr. William 
Martin, owner of the Martin block, on the corner of Ash and Second streets. 
gave the use of a part of a lot for a fire house and the board of city trustees 
provided the lumber for a small building, and bought a fire bell. 

Oceanpark now had her own water systems, fire company, school, churches 
and business houses. Tvlany of its residents were newcomers who knew little 
about the past history of the place or about the " north side." It was quite 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 255 

natural that they should think that they might better manage their own affairs 
and pay their taxes for improvements in their own section. As a consequence, 
it was not surprising that a movement for the division of the territory south 
of Front street from " old " Santa Monica should arise. Petitions for the 
division were duly drawn up and presented and then the people on both sides 
began to discuss the question in all of its bearings. When the election came 
on November 12th, 1900, to the surprise of the principal movers in the action 
who, by the way, were all old settlers and were actuated perhaps more by 
personal feeling in the matter than by any serious consideration for the good 
of the community at large, the proposition was snowed under. The vote stood 
341 against division and only 59 for it. Even the warmest advocates of division 
were compelled to admit that they had been mistaken in the sentiment of the 
people of South Santa Monica ; and the possibility of creating two towns out of 
Santa Monica was forever settled bv this decision. 



1901. 

The growth of " Ocean Park " as the district extending from Azure street, 
now Hollister avenue, along the beach to the south beyond the city limits of 
Santa Monica, had progressed by leaps and bounds since 1898. But the 
development of 1901 and the two or three succeeding years threw all previous 
records of beach development into the shade. Ocean Park, started as a gathering 
place for the Y. AI. C. A. and kindred societies ; a quiet colonv of summer 
homes, occupied by people of moderate means, for the most part, suddenly 
became the most popular and fashionable beach resort in Southern California. 
And with equally surprising suddenness it developed into a bustling business 
town, having stores, hotels, banks and newspapers and all the necessary 
commercial facilities for a community of several thousand inhabitants. 

The extension of the electric line south of Hill street and the erection of 
a power house south of the city limits were indications of the southward trend 
of improvements. The pushing forward of this work, of course, was followed 
by rapid settling up of the territory thus opened up. The electric line was 
completed to a point one mile south of Second and Hill streets on April 30th. 
In August it became known that the Los Angeles-Pacific had acquired a new 
and more direct right of way between Los Angeles and Ocean Park. They 
had purchased the old right of way abandoned by the Santa Fe Railroad com- 
pany, and begun the construction of a double track via Palms. This, with 
the new cut-off by way of Rosedale cemetery, would considerablv shorten the 
time between the city and this beach. 

Messrs. Kinney and Dudley had already extended their beach walk some 
distance south of Pier avenue and had provided electric lights, water and sewer 



256 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

system for this new district. The beautiful beach, the opportunity to build 
almost within reach of the ocean spray, the convenient trolley service, and the 
fine class of people who had already located here ; as well as the fishing, 
bathing and amusements ofifered, attracted residents and visitors. While the 
rapid increase in the value of property attracted investors, both little and big. 
Many people who had leased or bought merely for a beach home during the 
summer had found themselves unexpectedly enriched by the changed conditions, 
and immediately re-invested their gains. Many capitalists were also attracted 
by the chance to make quick money. By the first of March more than fifty lots 
in the new Short Line Beach tract had been sold and a number of buildings 
were under way. 

One of the most important improvements of this year was the Club House 
built just north of the golf links, laid out the year before. This building, 50 by 
80 feet, with a ten-foot veranda below and a roof veranda was put up by 
Messrs. Kinney and Dudley. Some $15,000 was spent on the building and the 
improvements in the tennis courts, golf links and race course and the place was 
made an ideal home for a country club. The Ocean Park Country Club was 
organized with Messrs. Kinney, Dudley and H. M. Grindley as directors. They 
at once planned a week's sports for August and in that month a successful tennis 
tournament, and polo races and golf tournament attracted a large number of 
visitors and participants. 

In April. Messrs. Hart and Fraser reported that only three lots of the 
Central Beach tract, put on the market in the fall, were left, and that $85,000 
had been expended in buildings erected on this tract. Among those locating 
here were Mr. G. A. Hart, Mr. A. R. Fraser, Judge R. B. Stevens, W. D. 
Winston, J. R. Newberry, A. Tichtenberger, William Hammel, and other business 
men of Los Angeles, many of whom built permanent homes here. 

The Ocean Wave tract, south of Central Beach, was ofifered for sale in 
March by Messrs. Kinney and Dudley and was all sold out in less than a month. 
South Second street was paved and sidewalked during the year and several new 
business blocks put up on Second street — this still being the business center of 
Ocean Park. Pier avenue was surveyed and graded from the railroad tracks 
to the ocean front and the lots ofifered for sale. In October a two-story frame 
building, with two store rooms below, was put up, the second building on this street 
About July 1st, it was announced that Abner Ross, a Los Angeles capitalist, 
would build a seventy-room hotel on Pier avenue. This substantial two-story 
building, which was long the principal hotel of Ocean Park, was erected in just 
twenty-four days from the time work began. Early in August it was opened 
to the public under the management of J. G. Holborow and wife, who furnished 
it and gave it the name. This building was later known as the Metropole and 
is now the Hotel Savoy. It was estimated that over 200 cottages were built 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 257 

on the sand during the year, the building expenditures reaching $118,691, 
exchiding the hotel and the Casino;- $18,500 was expended in improving the 
water system, and at least $25,000 was paid out for improvements made by the 
L. A. -P. railway. 

1902. 

But, rapid as was the pace set in 1901, the advance made in 1902 excelled it. 
A change took place at the beginning of the year, which meant much in the 
history of this section. This was the sale announced February 12th, of Mr. 
Dudley's interests in the Kinney and Dudley property to Messrs. A. R. Fraser. 
H. R. Gage and G. M. Jones ; Abbot Kinney retaining his half interest. This 
sale included the beach from Azure street, now Fraser avenue, to a point 700 
feet below the Country Club house, now Horizon avenue, and the club house 
and grounds. 

If such a thing were possible, new energy was given to the developments 
along the ocean front by the new management. It was announced that the 
wharf would be rebuilt, a bath house and pavilion built at Pier avenue, and the 
old plank walk on the ocean front rebuilt. The entire tract was to be sewered 
and the alley between the front and the tracks, now Speedway, would be 
improved. But the most important move was the change of policy with regard 
to leasing lots. It was announced that no more lots would be leased and that 
leasers would be given until May ist, to purchase their lots or vacate. Here- 
after lots would only be sold with building restrictions which would put an end 
to the building of cheap " beach cottages." Many of the lease holders purchased 
their lots and removed the old buildings to put up modern cottages which would 
yield an income on the increased valuation of the property. Many of those 
who did this realized handsomely on the investment. To many, however, the 
prices charged for lots and the building restrictions seemed prohibitive and the 
cottages were removed to cheaper property. During 1902-03, it was a common 
sight to find a cottage on wheels moving back from the ocean front to the hills, 
under the escort of William Menzies. 

In March, 1902, the Ocean Park bank was organized with T. H. Dudley. 
Abbot Kinney, Martin Dudley and Plez James as stockholders. It opened for 
business April 8th in a building on Second street ; but work was soon begun on 
a brick and steel building on Pier avenue and before the end of the vear the 
new bank was occupying handsomely fitted quarters and had added a savings 
department. 

The previous year the old school house hid proved inadequate and the 
Baptist church was rented for the higher grades. The rapidly increasing school 
population made a new building for the Ocean Park school imperative, and after 
an enthusiastic public meeting on the South Side, followed b\' another public 

17 



258 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

discussion of the question on the North Side, the school trustees called for a 
bond election to vote $12,000 for a suitable school house for Ocean Park. The 
bonds were carried, practically without opposition; the two old buildings were 
disposed of and the handsome eight-room structure, now known as the Wash- 
ington school house, was built on the old location, the corner of Ash and Fourth 
streets. Two additional lots were purchased for the grounds and the entire 
building and grounds cost over $16,000. 

The election of W. S. Vawter as city trustee to represent the South Side, 
and the fact that T. H. Dudley was president of the board of city trustees, 
assured this section of full representation in civic affairs and still further 
obliterated the old feeling of estrangement between the two sections of -the city. 
The building boom continued. June 12th, the Los Angeles Saturday Post 
writes thus of this beach : 

" There are seven hundred cottages at Ocean Park. They are all tasteful 
and many of them are pretentious. Ocean Park is not a place with a stifif, 
ceremonious air. There is a hospitable individuality, a generous atmosphere, 
in their architecture that shows as much as an}thing else that the good people 
of Ocean Park are not divided into social cliques or factions." 

During this year Pier avenue became the leading business street. Among 
the business blocks of the year were the Rice and Kellogg block, of three 
stores, with housekeeping rooms above ; a two-story building put up by Gillett 
& Co.; the new bank building, occupying four lots and costing $10,000; a two- 
story block erected by Abbot Kinney. The rapid rise in values is well repre- 
sented by Pier avenue property. In 1900, lots on this street sold for a few 
dollars; in 1901, $500 would have been considered a high price for a lot; in 
1902, twenty-five-foot lots sold for $40 per front foot; in 1903, a lot which 
had been purchased for $30 per front foot, was sold for $85 per foot. In 1904, 
C. J. Wilson sold a block on Pier avenue with a two-story frame building and 
a lot of 54 feet frontage for $21,000, and it is stated that the property was then 
yielding 10 per cent, on the investment. 

The company spent several thousand dollars this year in improving the 
sewer service. Twelve miles of new sidewalks were laid by the city and private 
parties and many streets were graded. It is estimated that street improvements 
reached about $20,000. On Saturday, November 15th. 1902, appeared the first 
issue of the Ocean Park Review, with A. Bert Bynon as editor. 

On August 2nd, the new line of the trolley road by way of Palms, was 
opened, the event being celebrated by an excursion of the Jonathan Club of 
Los Angeles, and distinguished citizens, who were entertained with a fish 
dinner at the country club. The Ocean Park Country Club sent out elaborate 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA 15AY CITIES 259 

invitations, announcing a polo match, tea, dinner, and reception, with speeches 
and dancing, in honor of the occasion. The invitations read : 

" The Los Angeles-Pacific Railway company will open its Short Line cut-off 
from Los Angeles to Ocean Park, tomorrow, Saturday, August 2nd, 1902. And 
in honor of this event the Los Angeles Country Club has arranged for a demon- 
stration that will mark the epoch as the most important in the history of Ocean 
Park up to this date. 

" The opening of this line of railway communication is recognized as of such 
importance to the future welfare and prosperity of Ocean Park that the head 
moulders of the present and future greatness of that noted beach resort appreciate 
the necessity of this great proposed demonstration. 

•' And these head moulders of the present and future greatness are Messrs. 
Fraser, Jones, Kinney and Gage, the pro]irietors of the Country Club, and it 
is these gentlemen who extend a cordial invitation to participate in the exercises 
and the reception of the Jonathan Club of Los Angeles and the other guests." 

1903. 

The new year showed no diminishni'.nt in building or in oeneral improve- 
ment in the " sand district." A\'ork was begun early in^ the yea'r on the pavilion 
at the foot of Pier avenue, which was to be the most complete pleasure resort 
on the beach. When it was opened to the public in the spring, it at once 
attracted the Sunday crowds. The question of granting a restaurant liquor 
license for the pavilion greatly harassed many of the older residents of Ocean 
Park, who had greatly prided themselves upon the high moral tone of their 
community. The matter was discussed warmly and was made an issue in the 
spring election which was hotly contested, the liquor question and the traction 
franchises being the mooted points. The result of the election was not satisfac- 
tory to the •• no-license " element who forced a special election, at which thev 
lost heavily in votes. And the liquor license was granted for the pavilion— 
the first one ever granted in Ocean Park district. 

The Traction matter was quite as important in its bearing on Ocean" Park 
affairs. This company had been interested in a project to build a line to Santa 
Monica Bay by Abbot Kinney, who was its representative in its negotiations 
here. A right of way had been secured; after a long fight which developed 
uuich opposition, the necessary franchises were granted by the citv of Santa 
:\Ionica and work was actively begun on a competing electric line which held 
out hopes of a twenty-five cent fare. The new road was well under way when 
the sale by Messrs. Fraser and Jones, of the Ocean Park right of way—the old 
Santa Fe right of way— to Sherman and Clark of the Los Angeles-Pacific. 



260 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

and the later sale to the Harriman interests, put an end to this prospect of 
competition; as the new road thus lost its terminals. 

Several new tracts were opened up for settlement during the year. The 
Ocean Villa Tract, cast of the electric road and opposite the Country Club was 
sold in half acre lots which were quickly subdivided and a new residence dis- 
trict grew up. In September, Ocean Park Villa Tract No.. 2, 60 acres extend- 
ing from Ballona avenue to Eighth street v/as put on the market and made a 
record as a quick seller. These ventures were so successful that E. J. Vawter 
offered 60 lots for sale on the hill in the vicinity of Hill and Fourth streets, all 
of which were soon disposed of. Pier avenue continued to hold its own as the 
principal business street. A three-story brick block was erected by Maier and 
Zobelin, and a new block designed especially to accommodate the postofhce was 
built. Ttily 23d the postoffice was moved from Second street to its new home 
and several of the business houses on Second street followed it to the new loca- 
tion. Lots on the ocean front, near Pier avenue, sold this summer for $2,300 
to $2,600. Marine avenue was opened up. paved and sidewalked this year and 
Hart and Eraser avenues were " parked." The placing of the sidewalk in the 
middle of a street, with gardens bordering it on either side was an innovation 
which has proved very attractive in the beach districts, and has now been 
adopted in many places, although Ocean Park claims it as original with her. 

The beautiful home built for J. M. Davies, a ten-room house, complete in 
every detail of artistic finish, and an equally handsome home for Thomas Fitz- 
gerald, now owned by Nat Goodwin, marked a new era in beach residences. The 
selection of Ocean Park as a permanent home by such men as Frank Wiggins, 
W. T. Gibbon, and many other prominent business men of Los Angeles, made 
the place a suburban as well as a resort town. 

The rapid growth of South Santa Monica and of the territory south of the 
city limits naturally gave rise to much discussion as to the future government 
of this prosperous young city. The attempt to divide the city of Santa Monica 
had proved so impracticable that it was now proposed to incorporate a new town 
to the- south, with the hope that when the new town was fairly organized, the 
Ocean Park district of Santa Monica might experience a change of sentiment 
and cast its fortunes with the new corjDoration. The matter was fully discussed 
in all of its bearings and in the fall the necessary steps were taken and the elec- 
tion called for February, 1904. On that date, the new town began its existence 
and the name " Ocean Park " became the property of a district which had been 
in existence less than eighteen months, leaving the postofifice of " Ocean Park " 
within the bounds of Santa Monica, and creating endless confusion as to the 
location of and the meaning of the name " Ocean Park." 



HISTORY UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 261 

South Santa Monica 1904-07. 
1904. 

The dissolution of the Ocean Park Improvement Company, which had been 
the controlHng- element in Ocean Park affairs, was announced February 3rd, 
1904, and was an event of importance in South Santa Monica. By this arrange- 
ment, Mr. Kinney, who had owned a one-half interest in the company, sold to 
his partners all of his interest in the property of the companv, both lands and 
buildmgs, between Navy and Kinney streets in Santa Monica, thus giving Fraser 
Jones and Gage the entire control of the Santa Monica holdings, ^inclu'ding the 
Pier avenue improvements. iAIr. Kinney received in exchange all title to the 
holdings of the company south of Navy street. As a result of this move, Mr 
Kinney planned Venice, while Messrs. Fraser and Jones devoted themselves to 
the development of their Pier avenue interests. Another result was the raising 
of prices for all lots belonging to the Improvement Companv from $4S per fron't 
foot to $60. ' 

It had already been announced that the Los Angeles-Pacific had purchased 
Mr. Kinney's interests in the proposed electric line that was to have been built 
through Ocean Park. They had also previously purchased the right of way 
owned by Fraser, Jones and Gage, thus giving them additional land^s and right 
of way. The railroad company at once began making improvements which were 
greatly appreciated by the residents of this district. The building of the plank 
walk between their tracks was a great boon to people who had been compelled 
to wade through deep sand to reach the cars. The erection of stations and 
improvements of the trolley way gave the town a new street and the companv 
also graded and improved a tract east of the line and put it on the market. 

In 1901 Captain Donahue brought a gasoline launch to Santa Monica which 
was operated from the wharf at Pier avenue, carrying fishermen and pleasure 
seekers on trips up and down the coast. This little craft had been the source of 
much pleasure to beach residents and visitors and it was with regret that they 
learned of her total wreck which occurred March 23rd. 1904, off the Short 
Line beach. 

June 30th the new Holborow, located in the handsome three-story brick put 
up by Maier and Zobelin, was opened to the public. This was then the finest 
hotel south of the Arcadia and was very popular. 

T905. 

In February, 1905, occurred one of the heaviest storms ever known on the 
Santa Monica bay coast. This washed out a large section of the Pier avenue 
wharf and later in the month another storm completed the wrecking of the pier. 




E. J. \\\WTER, JR. 



HiSTURV OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 263 

As a consequence, the outfall sewer of Santa Monica was badly wrecked and 
the beginning of sewer troubles followed. Another storm in March carried awav 
700 feet of the wharf and destroyed a mile of the beach walk. According to the 
terms of the agreement made between the city and the company who built the 
pier on the piles intended for carrying the outfall, Messrs. Kinney and Ryan 
were to keep the pier in repair for twenty years. The interest of Messrs. Kinney 
and Ryan had now passed into the hands of the Ocean Park Improvement Com- 
pany. A dispute as to who should stand the expense of the repair resulted in 
the sewer matter remaining unsettled. In the meantime a company was formed 
to build a new pier and it was proposed also to build another pier from the foot 
of Marine avenue. A permit for the Marine avenue pier was let to M. R. King, 
and later the idea of the horseshoe pier developed. A seaside theater was opened 
for the first time in the Pavilion at Pier avenue. 

The First National Bank of Ocean Park was organized in April, with J. M. 
Elliott, W. D. Longyear, E. J. Vawter, Jr., J. W. Lincoln, A. Eraser, C. H. 
Mullen and E. J. Vawter, Sr., as directors. E. J. Vawter. Sr., was president. 
J. M. Elliott, vice-president; Thomas Meldrum, cashier. June ist, the Com- 
mercial State Bank opened for business, with Eon A. Pratt, president ; Warren 
Gillelen, vice-president; J. W. Lawrence, cashier. 

Considerable feeling was aroused by an attempt to remove the postoffice 
from Pier avenue to Marine street and then make it the official office of the new 
town. A postoffice inspector was called in to straighten out postoffice matters; 
but after a conference with all parties interested, it was finally decided that the 
Ocean Park postoffice be left as it was and the new postoffice be named Venice. 
On the completion of the Masonic Temple, a handsome three-story brick build- 
mg, located on Marine avenue, the postoffice was again changed, despite a vig- 
orous protest, to a handsomely fitted up room in this building. But this was 
still within the limits of Santa Monica. 




Board of Education, City of Santa Monica. 1907. 



CHAPTER VII. 

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 
Schools. 

AS in every other American community, one of the first interests of the new 
settlement of Santa Monica, in 1875, was to provide school advantages. 
The first shack to house the men working on the wharf was put on the 
ground in April, 1875 ; the first lots in the new town site were sold in July. On 
November 3rd, the citizens of the town held a meeting in the dining-room of 
the Hotel Santa Monica to discuss school matters and take steps to secure the 
formation of a school district. As a result of this effort, the Santa Monica 
School District was formed by the board of supervisors. It included within its 
limits the San Vicente, Santa INIonica and Malibu ranchos, the tract of land 
belonging to Mrs. Lucas, and a portion of the Ballona grant — a somewhat 
extensive domain. 

On December 3rd the first school election was held and John Freeman, L. 
T. Fisher and J. W. Scott were chosen as trustees ; at the same time it was 
reported that there were seventy-two children in the nevv' district. An election 
was called in February, 1876, to vote a tax for school purposes; but owing to 
some irregularity of form it was postponed until March nth, when a special tax 
of $5,000 was voted for a school-house, and Loren Heath was appointed as 
assessor and collector of the same. The first assessment of the district shows a 
valuation of $1,035,580. Jones and Baker had already donated two lots on Sixth 
street as a site and during the summer a neat frame building, containing two 
school-rooms below and a large room above was erected and ready for use in 
the fall. 

In the meantime the children had not lacked for educational opportunities. 
November 8th, 1875, the " Santa Monica Academy," D. G. C. Baker, principal, 
opened for its first term of twelve weeks, prepared to give courses " in all 
branches, including the Fourth Reader and Hebrew," and " with accommoda- 
tions for a very few young ladies to board and lodge at reasonable rates." ]\Irs. 
M. J. D. Baker was instructor in elocution and Aliss Ida M. Atkinson taught 
music and drawing. Thus every need of a full school curriculum was supplied. 
The first school exhibition given in Santa Monica was presented by the pupils 
of this school in the Presbyterian chapel, February 9th, 1876. The Outlook 
also announces that the second term of Mrs. PVink's private school would com- 
mence on February 7th. March 4th, 1876, the first session of the public school 
opened in the Presbyterian church, located on the corner of Third and Arizona, 
the building still standing in the rear of the present church. Among the pupils 
of this school were a number who have since been well known residents of Santa 



266 HISTORY OF SANTA .MONICA i]AY CITIES 

Monica — George, Henry and Eugene i>oehme, Julia, May and George Suits, 
Mary Collins and Claude Sheckles. H. P. McCusick was the teacher and before 
the end of the second month he had an enrollment of ']'/ pupils. The next fall 
when school opened in the new school-house, Sei)tember loth, Mr. McCusick 
was assisted by Miss Lucy Whiten and the two lower rooms were used, while 
the " big " room was useful as an assembly room and a meeting place for pub- 
lic occasions. Many happy memories are associated with this room in the minds 
of older residents of Santa Monica. One memorable occasion was an entertain- 
ment and dance held on the evening of December 31st, 1881, the proceeds to be 
used for the purchase of an organ for the school-house. The Los Angeles papers 
announce that the affair was a great success and that the tableaux would have 
been creditable to a first-class theater. It should certainly have been a w'ell 
rehearsed affair, for in a dispute over one of the rehearsals, the teacher, W. H. 
P. Williams, an impetuous southerner, shot and seriously wounded one McDon- 
ald whom he thought to be interfering with his plans. Naturally the young pro- 
fessor was recjuested to resign, but the entertainment was carried out by his 
successor, W. W. Seaman, who later became a well known state official. The 
minutes of the school board for December 30th, 1881, state, " A Wilcox and 
White organ was presented to the public school of Santa Monica, the money 
for same having been raised by a series of public entertainments gotten up 
through the instrumentality of Mr. M. R. Gaddy and others." 

In 1877 the district showed an enrollment of 157 children, Mr. A. C. 
Shafer was the principal and was assisted by Miss Yda Addis, whose name and 
brilliant though erratic career are known to all older residents of Southern Cali- 
fornia. February 14th, 1878, a special tax for school purposes was voted. The 
school continued with two teachers until 1884, when the upper room was fur- 
nished and three teachers employed. In August, 1887, more room for the schools 
had become imperative and $5,000 bonds were voted and four rooms added to 
the school building. Four teachers w'ere now employed, with Elmer P. Rowell 
as principal. Mr. Rowell was. connected with the schools of Santa Monica for 
four years and many advances were made under his able leadership. In 1888 
the rapid increase in population made even the new accommodations inadequate 
and a tax of $2,500 was voted to still further enlarge the school building, after 
which six teachers were required. 

In 1889. after a good deal of agitation, steps were taken to provide the 
south side with a school. This was opened in a private house ; but in 1888 lots 
had been secured at the corner of Ash and Fourth streets and in 1890 a small 
building erected. In 1891 another small building was put up in Garapatos can- 
yon. This section of the district has since been cut off from the Santa Monica 
district. In 1894 a neat building was ])rovided for the i)iipils resident in Santa 
Monica canvon. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 267 

In May. 1885, the first class graduated from the grammar grade depart- 
ment, under the county laws governing grammar grades. The Santa Monica 
schools were counted as of the grammar grade until 1891, when the high school 
was established, under a new state law, and opened its first year of work in 
September, with Prof. Lero}- D. Brown as principal. Prof. Brown was an able 
educator and made a strong mark upon the character of the city schools. He 
was later principal of the Los Angeles schools and his untimely death was a 
sorrow to many who had enjoyed his instruction. The high school was opened 
in the Sixth street building and the first class of five members, Roy Arthur Sul- 
liger, Florence Corle Rubicam, George G. Bundy, Hilda H. Hasse and Delia 
Sweetser, graduated in 1894. 

For several years, beginning with 1889, Professor E. P. Rowell, Dr. A. W. 
Plummer, Professor Brown and others conducted a very successful summer 
institute in Santa Monica, for teachers and others desiring special instruction. 
These institutes provided interesting and profitable classes and lectures, con- 
certs and instruction in music and many enjoyable social affairs grew out of 
them. For several years they attracted a number of teachers and would-be 
teachers to this place for the summer courses. 

In 1893, two more rooms were added to the Sixth street building, and in 
1895 another school room was added to the south side school. September 5th, 
1897, bonds to the amount of $15,000 were voted for a high school building, 
although in April of the same year a proposition to vote $12,000 for the same 
purpose was lost, chiefly because it was felt that the sum was not enough to 
build a suitable building on the lots already secured at Tenth and Oregon. 
The contract for the building was let to H. X. Goetz and in June, 1898, the 
building was completed and dedicated by holding the graduating exercise for 
the year in it. 

In 1902 $12,000 bonds w^ere voted for a new building on the south side 
and the next }-ear an eight-room building, costing when com])lete about 
$16,000, was ready for occupancy. The city was now growing so rapidly, both 
by annexation and from within, that the school accommodations were felt to 
be entirely inadequate. In 1905 $60,000 bonds were voted and plans were 
made for three school houses, an eight-room building at Seventh and INIichigan, 
now known as the Garfield building ; a four-room school at Irwin avenue and 
Twenty-second — the Grant, and a four-room building on Twentieth between 
Oregon and Arizona. It was decided to construct all of these buildings of 
brick and to make them complete in equipment. But the growth of the school 
population was still beyond the capacity of the accommodations and in 1906 it 
was decided to replace the old Sixth street school, which had been added to 
tmtil little of the original building could be found, with a modern buildint?". 



268 



HISTORY OF SANTA xMONICA BAY CITIES 



In constMiuence the people were as^ain called upon to bond themselves for school 
purposes and the sum of $15,000 to complete the three buildings already under 
wav, was voted December 9th, 1905, and of $60,000 for the Sixth street school 
and a four-room building in the new Palisade tract. The Sixth street school 
was first occupied in the spring of 1907 and is the equal of any school building 
in the country. 

The Santa Monica schools are now fully equipped for eiTective service. 
Fifty teachers are employed and the attendance for 1907-8 will surpass all 




SIXTH STREET SCHOOL. 

]M-evious years. The number of children O'f school age in May, 1907, was 
2,499. Departments of music and drawing, with supervising instructors are 
maintained. Full courses in manual training and domestic science are given. 
The school district now has nine buildings : The Lincoln — the High School — 
located at Oregon and Tenth ; Jefferson, the old Sixth street school ; Washing- 
ton, Fourth street and Ashland avenue; Garfield, Seventh street and Michigan 
avenue ; Grant, Irwin avenue and Twenty-second street ; McKinley, Twentieth 
street between Idaho and Montana ; Roosevelt, Sixth street between Idaho and 
Montana ; Westgate and Canyon. The entire valuation of school property is 
$194,000. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 269 

Beside the public schools, the Academy of the Holy Names, under the care 
of the Sisters, was established in 1899. The beautiful building occupied by this 
school was dedicated February 22nd, 1901. 

In 1906 the California Military Academy was established in Santa Monica, 
in response to the desire of parents who wished to place their sons in a genuine 
military academy. Its sessions were held in tents located in the park until 
December 9th, when the school was transferred to the Arcadia Hotel building 
and the hotel ceased to exist after serving the public for twenty years. The 
school has a boarding and day department and prepares its pupils for college. 
Certainly no more delightful and healthful location for such a school could 
be found. 

School Trustees of Santa Monica. 

876-77 — John Freeman, L. T. Fisher, J. W. Scott (clerk). 
877-78 — M. D. Johnson. J. W. Scott. George Boehme (clerk). 
878-79 — Loren Heath, J. W. Scott, George Boehme (clerk). 
879-80 — Loren Heath, George Boehme, W. S. Vawter (clerk). 
880-81— M. D. Johnson, Loren Heath, W. S. Vawter (clerk). 
881-82— George Giroux, W. R. Caddy, W. S. Vawter (clerk). 
882-83— Mrs. L. B. Huie, J. W. Scott, M. R. Gaddy (clerk). 
883-84— Mrs. E. E. McLeoud, Mrs. Geo. B. Dexter, E. K. Chapin (clerk). 
884-85— Mrs. Geo. B. Dexter, Mrs. E. E. McLeoud, E. K. Chapin (clerk). 
885-86— Mrs. Geo. B. Dexter, Mrs. E. E. McLeoud, E. K. Chapin (clerk). 
886-87— F. H. Howard, E. J. Vawter, E. K. Chapin (clerk). 
887-88— W. O. Baxter. Geo. D. Pendleton. E. J. Vawter (clerk). 
888-89— W. O. Baxter, Geo. D. Pendleton, W. S. Vawter (clerk). 
889-90— Geo. D. Pendleton, John C. Morgan. W. S. Vawter (clerk). 
890-91— John C. Morgan, Dr. H. G. Gates, N. A. Roth (clerk). 
891-92— John C. Morgan. W. S. Vinyard, Dr. J. J. Place (clerk). 
892-93— John C. Morgan, R. R. Tanner, Dr. J. J. Place (clerk). 
893-94 — Dr. J. J. Place, R. R. Tanner. Nathan Bundy (clerk). 
894-95— R. R. Tanner, R. P. Elliott, Nathan Bundy (clerk). 
895-96— R. P. Elliott, Dr. J. J. Place, Nathan Bundy (clerk). 
896-97— R. P. Elliott, S. F. Carpenter, Fred H. Taft (clerk). 
897-98— R. P. Elliott, S. F. Carpenter. F. H. Taft (clerk). 
898-99— R. P. Elliott S. F. Carpenter, F. H. Taft (clerk). 
899-00— R. P. Elliott, S. F. Carpenter, D. G. Holt (clerk). 
900-01 — S. F. Carpenter, D. G. Holt (clerk), F. K. Rindge. 
901-02 — S. F. 'Carpenter, F. K. Rindge, D. G. Holt (clerk) 
902-03— S. F. Carpenter, F. K. Rindge, D. G. Holt (clerk). 
903-04 the change was made from a board of school trustees to a cil_\ 



270 



HISTORY OF SANTA ^lOXICA BAY CITIES 



board of education, the first board under the re-organization being: S. F. 
Carpenter, J. H. Hassinger, W. E. Devore, Dr. J. S. Hunt, J. H. Jackson. 
This board held until 1906 when the present board, W. E. Devore, A. B. Clapp, 
F. \'. Dales, D. G. Holt, and ^^'. S. \'awter was elected. 



Sui'ERx-isiNG Princii'als oi* Santa Monica Schools. 



1876-77— H. P. McCusick. 
1877— A. C. Shafter. 
T878— A. McPherson. 
1878-79— Chas, H. Hall. 
1879-80— Miss Blanche L. Downs. 
1880-81— Florella King. 
1881— W. H. P. Williams. 
1882-86— W. W. Seaman. 



1886-90— E. P. Rowell. 

1890-92 — Leroy D. Brown. 

1893-00 — N. F. Smith. 

1900-02 — C. I. D. ^loore. 

1902-07 — D. A. Eckert (superin- 
tendent). 

1907 — Horace Rebok (superinten- 
dent). 



School Exrollmlnt and Attendancl. 

The following table shows the increase in school enrollment and attendance 
in the Santa Monica school district since the vear 1876: 



Total 
Enrollment. 



Year. 

1876 103 

1876-1877 145 

1877-1878 149 

1878-1879 122 

1879-1880 98 

1880-1881 103 

1881-1882 108 

1882-1883 136 

1883-1884 179 

1884-1885 176 

1885-1886 198 

1886-1887 264 

1887-1888 332 

1888-1889 354 

1889-1890 344 

1890-1891 355 



Av. Daily 
Attendance. 

66 

64 
80 

65 
60 

54 
49 

87 
114 
118 
129 
187 
220 
212 
222 



Total 
Enrollment. 



Year. 

1891-1892 392 

1892-1893 496 

1893-1894 5^4 

1894-1895 614 

1895-1896 669 

1896-1897 739 

1897-1898 682 

1898-1899 699 

1899-1900 668 

1900- 1901 660 

1901-1902 755 

1902-1903 973 

1903-1904 1331 

1904-1905 1352 

1905- 1906 1604 

1906-1907 T64T 



Av. Daily 
Attendance. 

246 
278 
320 

402 
467 
444 

437 

441 

401 

482 

581 

815 

855 
1035 
1121 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



271 



Public Library. 
The people who settled the town of Santa ^lonica were of the intelligent 
and progressive class. They at once took steps to provide themselves with 
schools and churches, and on March ist, 1876, the Outlook announces: "A 
Library Association is about to be formed in Santa Monica. All those inter- 
ested in this movement are requested to meet at the home of Mrs. Devere, on 
Sixth street, on Thursday evening, when the plans will be explained." 

The association was formed and met once a week on Saturday evenings, 
when discussions were held and papers read. Books and periodicals were 
contributed for the use of the members. At a meeting of the association held 
April 19th, 1878, Dr. J. S. Elliott was chosen president; George Boehme, 

treasurer ; and M. 
C. Olmstead, secre- 
tary and librarian. 
The initiation fees 
of the society were 
$1.00 and the mem- 
bership $2.00 annu- 
ally, the money to 
be devoted to the 
purchase of books. 
There were twenty- 
five members, and 
June 19th, 1876, the 
first installment of 
books for the Santa 
Monica Library was 
received, the list including a number of standard works. This was certainly a 
good start toward a library. How long this society existed, or what became of 
the books purchased for it. is not known. 

The next movement for a library and a free reading room was made 
about 1884 by some of the ladies of the town, who felt that the young people 
needed such opportunities. Mrs. Asenath Lorimer, Miss Ella G. Dow. the 
Misses Vawter, Miss Niles, and others were interested. A subscription list 
was started. Col. R. S. Baker being the first contributor. Entertainments were 
given for the fund and a room in the rear of Dr. Fred C. :\IcKinnie's drug 
store was secured for a reading room. The work was carried on for some time 
by the women interested; but after the organization of the Woman's Chris- 
tian Temperance L^nion, the reading room was turned over to their charge. It 
was then removed to the building still occupied by the organization, being 
located in the down-stairs room. Of their work the Outlook notes: 




PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



272 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

" A few unselfish ladies of the W. C. T. U. have been engaged for some 
time in establishing a library and free reading room in Santa Monica. They 
have labored faithfully and already there is gratifying evidence that their work 
has not been in vain. Their free reading room is handsomely fitted up and 
is one of the specially inviting places in Santa Monica. For a time they rented 
a room but they finally concluded to purchase a lot and building and take the 
chances of paying for it. In accordance with this plan they bought a 25-foot 
lot and a two-story building on Third street for $2,500. Mr. John Steere, of 
whom they made the purchase, has given the ladies their own time to pay for 
the propert}^ only exacting the interest. By renting a portion of the building, 
they have redticed the rent to a small amount per month. On their shelves there 
are about 400 volumes of well selected books and the tables of the pleasant 
reading room are supplied with many popular magazines and papers. The 
only charge is two bits a month for books taken from the room, while all are 
allowed free use of everything within the library. The officers are Mrs. Jane 
Austin, president; Mrs. D. B. Hubbcll, vice-president, and Miss E. A. Dow, 
secretary. A number of other ladies are taking an active interest in the 
institution which deserves a most liberal support from our own residents, and 
it is to be hoped that some benevolent visitor will come along some da}- and 
determine to help this Avorthy undertaking. — Outlook, July 18, "88. 

The ladies of Santa Monica did, indeed, labor hard to aid this work. They 
gave dinners and suppers, socials and fairs, and worked harder to earn money 
for this purpose than they would have dreamed of working to earn money for 
themselves. One instance is told of an auction sale on the South Side, where 
the W. C. T. U. ladies furnished the dinner. One of the owners of the tract, 
Mr. Tom Lewis, offered to give a commission of $100 to the ladies if they 
would sell the house and lot on the tract offered. After the dinner, one of the 
ladies, Mrs. D. B. Hubbell, heard of the offer, rounded up a purchaser for the 
property and made a sale. In course of time the $100 was paid over to her and 
she asserts that the day on which she spent a hundred dollars all at once for 
books for the Santa Monica library, was a red letter dav in her life. 

In 1888, the ladies of Santa Monica, under the direction of Mrs. Cliapin. 
Mrs. W. S. \"awter, and others, and with the aid of Mr. Tyler, prepared a 
floral exhibit for the second Floral Festival held in the old Hazard Pavilion, in 
Los Angeles. A full-rigged ship was seen floating on the ocean, the wharf 
and the 1)luft" were represented — all in the most exquisite of flowers. The 
Santa Monica booth was unanimously declared the most beautiful among many 
elaborate exhibits and received the first prise, $200. This after deducting 
expenses the ladies turned over to the reading room fund. 

P)Ut the purchase of the building and the maintenance of the reading room 
and library proved too heavy a burden for the women to carrv indefinitely. In 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES IIZ 

1889, Mr. Steere very generously returned the money which had been paid on 
the building and canceled the sale. But upon his death, in 1892, he left this 
building to the Women's Christian Temperance Union on condition that a free 
reading room be maintained in it. 

In 1890 the ladies who were interested in the library proposed to turn it 
over to the city, provided the city would carry it on. The proposal of the 
ladies who had gathered together a well selected library of 800 volumes was 
as follows : 

" It appearing to the members of this society that said society is unable to 
pay the current expenses of the library belonging to them, and believing it will 
be for its best interest to donate the said library to the town of Santa Monica, 
a municipal organization duly incorporated and existing under the laws of this 
state, to be carried on by the said town in accordance with the laws of this 
state regulating public libraries, it is therefor 

" Resolved, that this society does hereby give, donate and bequeath to said 
town of Santa Monica all its said library, together with all appurtenances 
belonging thereto, for the purpose of maintaining a public library in connection 
with a free reading room. 

" We, the undersigned members of the foregoing society, do hereby consent 
to this disposition of the library. 

" Signed by Laura E. Hubbell, president ; J. A. Austin, secretary ; Rebecca 
B. Guilberson, I. D. Richmond (per Mrs. Richmond, his wife). Trustees, 
Mamie E. Guilberson, Mrs. I. D. Richmond, Mrs. J. A. Dexter. 

November 14th, 1890." 

The town trustees accepted the gift and appointetd W. W. Webster, E. H. 
Sweetser, H. A. Fisher, Abbot Kinney and L. T. Fisher as library trustees. 
Two rooms were engaged in the bank building and December, 1890, Miss 
Elfie Mosse was appointed librarian. 

The first monthly report of the library after it was turned over to the city, 
December, 1890, reads: " Report of Santa Monica Public Library, commencing 
December 5th. The book list names 808 books ; the records show fifteen books 
taken that have been out for several months. The list of subscribers during 
month is twenty-eight — sixteen of them new on the list. Receipts for the 
month, $7.25. Donation of a year's subscription of the following magazines by 
Mr. Abbot Kinney: Scribncr's, Popular Science Monthly, The Forum, Harper's 
Monthly, Puck and Judge. Mr. H. A. Winslow donated American Encyclo- 
pedia, 10 volumes; Mr. T. A. Lewis, 'Memoirs of W. T. Sherman,' 2 volumes, 
Elfie Mosse, librarian." 

A subscription of twenty-five cents a month was still required and still at 
the end of the first vear the librarv was badlv in need of funds. If it was to be 




J. H. CLARK. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MOXICA BAY CITIES " 275 

carried on. sotiiething- nnist be done and a subscription of $200 was niade un 
among citizens to help it out. ^ 

March m ,893. the library uas ma<le free .o the p„bHc. the occasio,, 
be,„s ceebraled by an evening gatl,ering, speeches, etc. The library now ha 
■ 800 voi„„,es on its sl,elves. Tl,e growth was steadily maintained tn ,8^^ 
n became necessary to secure an additional room. On tl,e completion of the 
new cty ball, ,t was removed March .tst, ,903, to the roon, now occupied bv 
the coimal, winch gave more commodious quarters. 

rsut it ha<l already been suggested that Santa .Monica nnght possiblv be 

ble to secure a Carneg.e hbrary, as so „,an>- other towns in Southern Californ a 

had done. Early n, 1903 Mrs. J. H. Clark wrote to Mr. Carnegie sett ! 

forth t e needs of Santa .Monica and n,ai.ing a pica for consideration' f^thi: 

city, .\tter some correspondence she received the following letter: 

ANDREW CARNEGIE. 

2 Fast 91st St., 

New York. 

Mrs. J. H. Clark, 13th April, 1903. 

Santa Monica. Cal 

city ag"e\'TyTe!o7,S'Sf i°orci!srrinS;;''a" ?" '"^='1'.'","''"'* "°"'-- " ">« 
less tlian Twelve Hundred and ray DollarLl veal- la 'f ''"'™"'>' "« ™=' <>' "o' 

Diuldlng, Mr. Cai-negie will be ,, ease, to ?n™fi x '^™"j! ^ ="'''''''«=''<='<'■■ tlte 
Dollars to ereet a Free Pablie\i'brar;"Bnmi,',rior S^a^nm MoT.ic""''""' '"'"' ""°'"-'<' 

Respectfully yours, 

JAS. BERTRAM, 
^ . P. Secretary. 

the slnoort'o;?,' It'' ";""•"■ '"""■ '"'■"' ""= ''""'"' »""""' -'"^llv for 

as , rted a, T' T'' ™""""' '° ^^"'^^ '■' -^"^ '"^ -bscription 

as start d and in a few weeks the sum of $3,982.50 had been raised The 

■ ™ saw tt Zn\ °", ",'"" "''"^' "" '^«""- ■'•">■ ^3«> of the same 

^\as opened witli a reception to the pubhc 

and Iilr'"' w'tr °' "" '""''"' '' ^°--«l-- "i"' ••' h-l»me faca.le 

the rooms ben g bmit aroimd ,t and opening from it, in such a vvav that super- 
vision can be bad over the whole from the central desi- A l,, ■'■ , 
snitaKl. ,-!,,■ , . ., central desk. .A juvenile room with 

fo" ,!tot " ""' ' '"''"'■ "-'' ™"^ '"' '° "-■ conveniences 

nietbods'liaJe'T"""""^ """T™^ '"' ''""'■-^" '""' "' "''■ "''""■ "■°ri<. "totleni 
methods have been adopted an<l improvements are constantK in progress At 

1 e present date the library contains 8.300 volumes and the home iss:e for th 

.ea just ended was 39.7,38. Three days in the week there is a book exchange 

from Pier avenue, the station being in the drug store of Clapp Rrothers ^ 



276 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

In the reading and reference rooms are currently received ninety-five 
periodicals. Special work in the children's rooms, such as posters, stereoscope 
system of views, etc., and also meeting the demand for books in connection 
with the public school work, is made a feature of much interest. 

The success of this library has been greatly due to the faithful and efficient 
librarian, Miss Elfie Mosse, who has had it in charge since 1890. For four- 
teen years she was entirely without assistance except during the summer months. 
Alone and unaided she has striven zealously to keep the Santa Monica library 
fn the front rank and to keep pace with the growth of the city. All the latest 
methods and improvements have been adopted through her efforts, and at the 
National Librarians' Convention, which she attended, her work received high 
commendation. 

In August, 1902, Miss Grace Baxter was made assistant librarian and a 
student's class was inaugurated. 

The following table, giving the home use of books since the library came 
under " city government," will be of interest : 

January, 1891 to 1892 5,304 

January, 1892 to 1893 7'5o8 

January, 1893 to 1894 9-941 

January, 1894 to 1905 i5'io6 

January, 1905 to 1906 I9»i83 

January, 1896 to 1897 18,805 

January. 1897 to 1898 26,397 

January, 1898 to 1899 25,029 

January, 1899 to 1900 27.281 

January, 1900 to 1901 21 .533 

January, 1901 to 1902 17-550 

January, 1902 to 1903 21,260 

January, 1903 to 1904 22,670 

From January to June, IQ04 (6 months) ii.i34 

From June 30, 1904, to June 30, 1905 26,575 

From June 30, 1905, to June 30, 1906 35-641 

From June 30, 1906, to June 30, 1907 39-738 

Santa Monica Ltp.rary Site Cash Contributors. 

Artesian Company $ 300.00 Bradshaw. Wm. 25.00 

Abbott & Elliott 5.00 Brand. L. C. (Guarantee 

Aiken. H. C 25.00 Title) 40.00 

Busier. A 25.00 Brooks, Miss 25.00 

Bundy. Frank 25.00 Henson. A. B 5.00 

Bundv. Guv 10.00 Bandina, Don Jaun 100.00 



HISTORY UF SAXTA 

Charles, Chris 25.00 

Chambers, W. H 25.00 

Crosier, J. C 5.00 

CooIk, G. W 5.00 

Clark, J. H 100.00 

Carpenter, S. F 25.00 

Conaway, C. W 10.00 

Dudley, T. H 50.00 

Dudley, Mrs. T. H 100.00 

Dow, Miss Ellen 25.00 

Dike, Mrs. E. W 25.00 

Dales Bros 25.00 

Daley, F. B 50.00 

Duryea, Mrs. A 10.00 

Dunston, H. G 10.00 

Duncan, E 2.1^0 

Edison Electric 100.00 

Eaton, Fred 50.00 

Edmond, Geo. W 25.00 

Feather, M. D 5.00 

Freeman, Ed 5.00 

Gillis, W. T 25.00 

Guidinger, A. M 2^.00 

Gardner, Mrs. M. W 2^.00 

Grimes, R. R q.oo 

Gilman and Dorner 25.00 

Hunt, Dr. J. S 25.00 

Hamilton, Dr. N. H 50.00 

Hutton, Geo. H 50.00 

Hull, W. 1 25.00 

Holt, D. G 25.00 

Hubbell, Mrs. L. E 25.00 

PTemingway, J. C 5.00 

Jones. Roy 500.00 

Tames, T. H 5.00 

Jenkins. Rob 5.00 

Keller, H. W 25.00 



MONICA BAY CITIES 277 

Kennedy, John 25.00 

Knesel, J. S 25.00 

Lindsey, C. M 10.00 

Lindsey, Mrs. M. C 25.00 

La Berge, J 5.00 

Leonardt, Carl 20.00 

Miller, R. M 25.00 

Moody, T. A 25.00 

Martin, Miss E 25.00 

Montgomery, A. i\I 25.00 

Mosse, Miss E 10.00 

Miles, J. Euclid 10.00 

Michel, H i5-00 

Morris, Alf 10.00 

Bassett and Nebeker 100.00 

Nieman & Co 25.00 

Rindge, F. H 500.00 

Robie. J. B 100.00 

Sherman and Clark 300.00 

Sweetser, E. H 25.00 

Sawtelle, \V. E 25.00 

Schrader, Carl 25.00 

Saxman, W. H 5.00 

Taft, F. H 25.00 

Tanner, R. R 50.00 

Tullis, (). G 25.00 

Tegner, Chas 5.00 

Vawter, W. S 25.00 

\'a\vter, E. J 20.00 

X'awter, Misses 10.00 

\'olkman. M. F 10.00 

Walkley, Mrs. Caroline ... 100.00 

Webb and A^'ogel 25.00 

Wilson, J. S 10.00 

Wilson, E. A 10.00 



83 Subscribers. 



$3,782.50 



278 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



Santa Monica Fire Department. 

The first fire compan_\- in Santa Monica was the Crawford Hook and Ladder 
Company, organized October 27th, 1875, with J. C. Morgan, president; S. B. 
Adams, secretary; W. Beach, treasurer; Harry DuPuy, foreman; John Mott, 
first assistant ; Johnny Doyle, second assistant. Their outfitting was very simple, 
being; buckets and axes, but they were enthusiastic and on occasions made a 
brave fight with their buckets. One of the most serious fires with which they 
had to contend occurred on July 19th, 1876, when the " Club House " was set on 

fire by an incendiary for the purpose of rob- 
ber}-, the thieves getting- away with S850 
from the bar during the excitement. This fire 
company was an important factor in the social 
life during' early days, as they had their 
annual balls and benefits of various sorts. 
The organization died out, however, and for 
some years the town was without a regular 
fire department of any sort. Everybody 
grabbed a bucket and ran when an alarm 
was given. 

No other fire company was organized 
here until March 22nd, i88g. when Santa 
Monica Hose, Hook and Ladder Company 
was formed with forty-six members, many of 
whom were leading business men of the city. 
l)()b " Eckert. who had been a pioneer fire- 
man in Los Angeles, was the first foreman 
The first equipment at this time consisted of 
a four-wheel hose cart and i.ooo feet of hose, 
with ladders, axes, etc. Hydrants had been 
been provided and the old engine house, back of the bank building on Oregon 
avenue, had been built in 1888. The first officers of the company were Robert 
Eckert. foreman; William Jackson, first assistant foreman; George H. Dexter, 
second assistant foreman; Fred C. McKinney, secretary, and A. G. Smith, 
treasurer. In 1890, George B. Dexter was made foreman, a position which he 
held continuously until 1903 when the department was organized under the new 
city administration. 

In 1890 a two-wheel cart and a hook and ladder wagon were added to the 
equipment. The two carts with 2.000 feet of hose made it a very heavy task 
for the firemen to ])ull the ap])aratus to a fire, especially when they had to ])lough 
through a mile nr two of sand or dust to reach South Santa Monica. Yet for 




FIRE HOUSE. DEPT. XO. 1. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 279 

ten years the firemen were obliged to meet these conditions, added to which was 
often, perhaps usually, an inadequate supply of water, or a pressure too weak 
to be effectual. This company was volunteer and received no compensation for 
their services, except such funds as were raised in various ways through the 
efforts of the firemen or by contribution. 

During that time the fire department had to cope with many exciting blazes. 
One of the most serious was the Santa Monica Hotel which was burned in 1889. 
Another, which many will remember, was the burning of the large livery stable 
belonging to William Flores when several horses and a large amount of hay 
was lost. The destruction of the old Neptune Gardens, in 1893, was a pictur- 
esque fire ; in 1895 the burning of the St. James Hotel caused a heavy loss and 
some narrow escapes; the fire department by good work saved the adjoining 
buildings, although they were too late to save even the furnishings of the hotel. 
In 1899, the Casino building on Third street was destroyed by fire. 

In 1900 the board of trustees after careful consideration purchased a new 
combination hose wagon and chemical engine and also a team of horses. Mr. 
A. J. Myers was installed as driver. The engine house was rebuilt, a new 
fire bell had been put in place and an electrical fire alarm system had been 
installed in 1896. Mr. W. I. Hull served as president of the company for 
fifteen years 1892 to 1907. The present officers are: C. J. Marvin, chief; E. 
P. Nittinger, assistant chief. The board of fire commissioners is made up of 
Mayor Dudley, president; A. N. Archer and H. G. Dunston. 

In 1906 steps were taken to provide the fire department with suitable 
quarters, the old fire house having become entirely unsuited to its needs. At 
a bond election held in 1906, bonds were voted for building two fire houses, one 
on city property rear of the city hall, one on Surf and Lake streets. These 
handsome buildings, fitted with all modern conveniences, were turned over to 
the city in the spring of 1907. 

A volunteer fire department was organized in Ocean Park February 3rd. 
1900, with an enrollment of eighteen members, its officers being A. N. Archer, 
president: Wm. H. Menzies, foreman; C. J. Marvin, assistant foreman: J- H. 
Hassinger, secretary and treasurer; E. Rudisill. second assistant foreman. The 
city trustees turned over to this company the old four-wheeled cart and 600 
feet of hose, and furnished lumber to put up a small building which was erected 
on private property by voluntary labor and subscription. This companv was 
mcreased to thirty members and did efficient service many times, although much 
hampered b}- lack of water pressure. The present fire house is fully equipped. 

Newspapers. 

The newspaper history of Santa Monica is practically the history of the 
Santa Monica Outlook. The first number of this paper was issued October 




D. G. HOLT. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 281 

13th, 1875, with L. T. Fisher as editor. Outside of the Los Angeles Express, 
started in 1871, and the Herald, first pubHshed in 1873. it is the oldest newspaper 
in the county and one of the oldest papers in Southern California. 

The editor had published a paper at San Pedro before locating in the then 
embryo city of Santa Monica. His first number was a four-page, seven-column 
sheet, well filled with news and advertisements. The office of the Outlook at 
this time was on Third street, between Arizona and Nevada, the property now 
known as the General Sargeant place. The editor rejoices, in his early numbers. 
in the fact that he — for the first time in his life — owns his own home, and in 
the rapid growth of his trees and shrubbery. The magnificent trees on this 
place still bear mute testimony to Mr. Fisher's energy. 

The Outlook boosted Santa Monica manfully during those early years of 
existence. The editor was convinced that the progress of Santa Monica, the 
completion of the Los Angeles and Independence road and the supremacy of 
Santa Monica as a commercial port, were the most important subjects to 
himself and his readers and he wrote editorials on these which were masterpieces 
in their way. April 5th. 1876, he published the first "special edition" of the 
Outlook, reviewing the advance made during the six months' existence of the 
paper. 

\Vhen the shadow of coming disaster began to loom up, Mr. Fisher fought 
the " Southern Pacific monopoly " bravely, until the sale of the Independence 
road to the Southern Pacific company was finally confirmed. Then he yielded 
as bravely as he had fought and announced : " We should accept the situation 
as we find it and make the best of it. If we can't stem the current, the next 
best thing is to fioat as gracefully as possible with it." During 1877. H. A. 
Downer bought an interest in the paper, but soon retired and Mr. Fisher con- 
tinued the paper until after the abandonment of the wharf by the S. P. 
December 19th, 1878, he announces that the next issue will be omitted, as the 
week is a holiday. The next issue did not appear until January 5th, 1887. 

During 1886, after the wave of activity and prosperity had again struck 
Santa Monica, E. A. Fay started a weekly paper known as The JVazr. When 
L. T. Fisher returned and began the publication of the Outlook again, the JVaz'e 
soon vanished from the field and the Outlook remained the newspaper of the 
town. In all the rapid advancement of that boom period, the Outlook led the 
procession. Mr. Fisher put up a strong fight for the new wharf, which he 
beHeved would make Santa Monica a shipping port; for sewers and municipal 
improvements ; for the location of the harbor at Santa Monica, and for small 
farms, good roads and tree planting. His paper was always strictly non- 
partisan, except for one number in Sejitember, 1888, when it was proposed to 
start a new paper in Santa ^lonica, the Review, to be Republican in pol- 
icy. Then the Outlook announces that it will support the Democratic 



282 HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

ticket — Cleveland and Thurman. But the new paper failed to materialize and 
the Outlook contintied to follow its old policy which is outlined as: "The 
Outlook is doing its best — and is doing it in its own way. Our chief desire 
is to advance Santa Monica in the line which will exemplify the good old 
democratic doctrine. 'The greatest good to the greatest number." " 

In March, 1891, Mr. Fisher sold the Outlook to W. S. Rogers and Eugene 
Day; but in September of the same year Mr. Day retired and ^Mr. Fisher again 
assumed editorial control of the paper. Mr. Fisher retained his interest in the 
paper until October, 1894, when he sold out to E. B. Woodworth. P.ut before 
his final retirement he saw his long desired dream of a commercial wharf 
realized and during 1893 he published very full and exultant accounts of the 
building and business of the long wharf and Port Los Angeles, making predic- 
tions of future commercial importance for Santa Monica, which time has not 
yet verified. 

Mr. Woodworth remained sole proprietor of the paper until ( )ctober, 1895, 
when Robert C. Oillis purchased half interest in the paper. Tn February, 1896, 
Mr. Gillis became sole proprietor of the Outlook; in April, D. G. Holt joined 
Mr. Gillis in the j^ublication of the Outlook. Since that date Mr. Holt has 
contiued as editor and pul)lisher of the paper. 

On Monday, June 8th. 1896, appeared the first number of the Santa Monica 
Evcuiuo^ Outlook, a four-])age, five-column daily. It continued in this form- 
until Xovember, 1891. when it was enlarged to six columns. June 14th, 1902,. 
the paper was doubled in size, becoming eight pages. 

The Santa Monica Outlook has always been a clean, clear-cut exponent 
of the interest of its home city. This is the object of its existence although 
the interests of the county and the state are not neglected. In 1896 Messrs. 
Woodworth and Barrackman began the publication of the Southcru Siguol, 
which later became the Signal, a weekly and daily paper. In 1897. Eugene 
Day was editor and proprietor. The paper continued to exist until May, 1898, 
when it passed out of existence finally. 

POSTOFFICE. 

The first po.stofiice in Santa Monica was located in a building still standing 
on the east side of Second street, near Colorado. The first postmaster was W. 
H. Williams, who held the office until his death in January, 1877. He was 
.succeeded by J. M. Rogers. During September, 1877, the office was made a 
money-prder office. In 1880. M. B. Boyce was appointed postmaster and held 
the office until 1886, when he was succeeded by Miss Maggie Finn. The build- 
ing between the Giroux and Rapp buildings on Second street was then used 
as the office. In Februar}-, 1890, W. S. Vawter received the appointment, and 
assumed the office April ist, 1890. He removed it to the new bank building 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 283 

on Third street and established it in handsomely fitted np quarters, with J. S. 
Summerfield as acting deputy. In 1893 Mr. X'awter resigned to be succeeded 
by J. C. Steele. During his administration the office was located in the Gates 
block. In May, 1898, George B. Dexter was appointed, to be succeeded in April. 
1902, by the present incumbent, K. B. Summerfield. 

In July, 1888, the office was raised to the third class. In 1899 the Ocean 
Park postoffice was established, with L. B. Osborne as postmaster, this office 
being in Santa Monica also. February 19th, 1900, the electric postal service 
was inaugurated, which gave much better service than had before been enjoyed. 
The steady growth of the postal business in both postoffices has long since en- 
titled the city to postal delivery ; but the fact of there being two separate offices 
has stood in the way of the completion of arrangements, although free delivery 
has been promised for some time. The increased business of the Santa Monica 
office led to a demand for increased room and facilities and in 1907 a building 
was erected especially to accommodate the postoffice and has been equipped with 
every convenience for the postoffice force and for the public. 

Board of Trade — Ctiambkr of C():mmf.rce. 

December 6th, 1888, the citizens of Santa Monica, after some preliminary 
discussion, organized a Board of Trade, selecting Mr. M. R. Gaddv as president 
and J. J. Carrillo as secretary. After a general discussion as to the needs of 
the community antl what could be done to aid in building up the place, a com- 
mittee of six was appointed to take up the matter of securing a wharf — that 
being regarded as the most important improvement that could be made at this 
time. During the year the Board met rather irregularly and discussed many 
plans for the wharf, for a boulevard to Los Angeles and for various possible 
advance moves. In 1889, E. J. Vawter was elected president, J. J. Carrillo 
retaining the secretaryship. In 1890, M. R. Gaddy was again president. In 
February, 1890, the Board of Trade passed a resolution declaring that Santa 
Monica was the most advantageous location for a harbor and requesting Repre- 
sentative Vandever to use his influence towards securing an appropriation for 
that purpose. This Board of Trade continued to exist and to hold semi- 
occasional meetings until March, 1895, when it became a Chamber of Commerce, 
duly incorporated for the sum of $io,ooo. The incorporators were: R. F. Jones, 
F. L. Simons, T. H. Wells, M. H. Kimball. Walter G. Schee, J. J. Carrillo. 
Roy Jones, E. B. Woodworth, N. A. Roth, W. T. Gillis, H. W. Keller. 

The old members of the P.oard of Trade were eligible to membership and a 
campaign for new membership was made. The meeting at which the re-organi- 
zation was eiTected passed resolutions thanking Hon. J. J. Carillo for " faithful 
and efficient official service during the seven years last past, all of which time 
he has been Secretary of the Board." The president of the new Chamber of 
Commerce was Robert F. Jones; first vice-president. F. F. Simons : second-vice- 



284 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

president, H. W'. Keller; treasurer, M. H. Kimball. The new organization laid 
out a broad scheme of work ; twelve different committees were appointed 
to deal with municipal improvements and affairs. One of the first matters 
taken up was the planning of a float for La Fiesta. Another topic which 
absorbed much attention and was exhaustively handled by a committee con- 
sisting of Roy Jones and H. W. Keller, was that of securing a sewer system. 

They engaged an engineer and had careful estimates and plans made, 
which were later adopted by the city council. When the Chamber of Com- 
merce asked the Board of Trustees to call an election to vote on sewer bonds, 
the Board declined, fearing that the issue would not carry. The Chamber of 
Commerce then held a " straw election." which was carried out with all the 
completeness of a genuine election and the bonds were carried bv a handsome 
majority. As a result a bond election was called by the city and $40,000 bonds 
were voted for sewers. 

A road to Calabasas was another subject which received attention 
and which was successfully carried out, largely owing to the work of Mr. J. 
J. Carillo. Of course the Chamber of Commerce took every opportunity to 
advance Santa Monica's interests in the harbor fight, then on, and some very 
interesting meetings were held in connection with this matter. The Chamber 
of Commerce raised a fund to send Mr. John W. Mitchell to Washington as 
their representative. 

The enthusiasm of the Chamber of Commerce seems to have worn itself 
out in 1898. At any rate in December of that year it was proposed to organize 
an " Improvement Club " which it was believed would eventually make the town 
doubly a paradise. Frank A. Miller, then mine host of the Arcadia, was one 
of the moving spirits in this organization and it started out with energelic — 
talk. J. J. Davis was president ; F. B. McComas, vice-president ; F. H. Taft, 
secretary; Dr. P. S. Lindsey, treasurer. The executive committee included 
F. A. Miller, W. S. Vawter, N. A. Roth. Roy Jones, Abbot Kinney, A. Mooser, 
A. W. McPherson, E. P. Clark. T. H. Dudley, F. H. Rindge, L. B. Osborne. 
The Club made a vigorous, although unsuccessful, campaign to secure lower 
fares to Los Angeles. It also took up the matter of liquor licenses, recom- 
mending that only six saloon licenses be issued and that the license be raised to 
$600. The Improvement Club did some efficient work in arousing jniblic opinion 
of the saloon situation, and for three or four months the Outlook contains long 
reports of its meetings — then apparently the Improvement Club went the way 
of the Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce. 

The Outlook of September 6th, 190T, announces: "Santa Monica is well 
on the road looking to an efficient organization of business men and other repre- 
sentative citizens. The ball was started rolling last evening when a largely 
attended meeting was held in the town hall for the purpose of organizing a 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 285 

Board of Trade." The organization was completed on September 24th when A. 
Mooser was elected president; W. I. Hull, vice-president; Fred H. Taft. 
secretary; W. Lee Chambers, treasurer; ( ). G. Tullis, J. H. Jackson, B. Sues, 
Georo-eD. Snyder and A. Montgomery, were the executive committee. The 
question of bonds for civic improvement; of a sanitarium, and various subjects 
of public interest were brought before the public b}- the efforts of the Board of 
Trade; but it seems soon to have lost its grip. 

July 9th, 1903, the ever hopeful scribe of the Outlook writes: " It would 
seem that the business men of Santa Monica have at last awakened to the 
necessity of doing something in the w^ay of raising the standard of the amuse- 
ments, improvements, etc., of this town, and that they mean to stay awake." 
A large and " enthusiastic " meeting of the business men was held to discuss 
the situation and it was agreed by all that something must be done at once, or 
Santa Monica would lose her prestige as a summer resort entirely. As many 
of those present had been members of the old Chamber of Commerce, it was 
decided to revive that organization. The officers of this renewed Chamber of 
Commerce were: Robert F. Jones, president; W. I. Hull, first vice-president; 
R. Fogel, second vice-president; Frank W. Vogel, treasurer. A committee to 
secure amusements and music for the summer season was appointed and secured 
funds for band concerts during the season. It also arranged for dances and 
various attractions on the beach, but this seems to have been the extent of their 
efforts and nothing more is heard of the organization. 

The next organizations to " iiuprove " the city of Santa Monica was the 
Municipal League. This was formed May i8th, 1904, with Robert F. Jones 
as presiding officer; Dr. Rathbone, vice-president; D. G. Holt, secretary; A. 
Mooser, treasurer. It proposed among other things, to prepare a pamphlet 
setting forth the advantages of Santa Monica, for distribution ; also to prepare 
an exhibit for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, but the only real 
accomplishment seems to have been a Fourth of July celebration, and the 
securing of a band to play during the summer season. 

lune 1st, 1905, the Santa Monica Municipal League changed its nnme to 
become the Santa Monica Board of Trade, with W. I. Hull, president; R. 
Fogel, vice-president; J. Addison Smith, secretary, and A. Mooser, treasurer. 
This organization has ])roved vital and has been an important factor in the 
rapid progress of the past two years. Among some of the achievements of 
the first year's real work were the issuing of 20,000 copies of a neat booklet 
advertising Santa Monica ; the publishing of an advertisement of Santa Monica 
in the Pacific Monthly for six months; efficient aid in the securing of annexation 
of territory to the city, and in securing better lighting and other improvements 
for the municipality. At the second annual meeting, August loth. TQ06. W. T. 



286 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Hull was again elected president, and J. Addison Smith, secretary : C. D. Aliddle- 
kauff was treasurer, and R. Fogle, vice-president. 

Much valuable work for the good of Santa iMonica was accomplished 
during the new year of 1906-07. One of the most important moves was the 
effort made to secure free mail delivery and the promise finall}' secured that 
such deliverv would be provided for as soon as arrangements could be com- 
pleted. Attention of the department was also drawn to the inadequate accom- 
modations furnished the Santa IMonica postoffi'ce and the result has been the 
securing of new and ample quarters. Another important step was the action 
of the board, in recommending that Santa iMonica merchants withdraw their 
business from the L. A. P. road until that company granted a five-cent fare 
within the city limits. Largely through the action of this body, the fine system 
of lighting Ocean avenue was adopted. But the most important work of the 
organization was in connection with the sewer problem. It secured and pre- 
sented the plan of disposal which has finally been adopted and which it is 
confidentlv believed will settle for all time this troublesome subject which has 
disturbed the peace of mind of the community for many years. At the third 
annual meeting held in October, 1907, Mr. Hull declined to be re-elected, 
and I. J. Sevmour was chosen as president, R. Fogel was elected vice-president, 
and W. IC. Cowan, treasurer. 

City Officials. 

1886.— Board of trustees, J. W. Scott, \\'. S. Vawter, A. E. Ladd, John 
Steere, Dr. E. C. Folsom ; clerk, Fred C. IMcKinnie ; John Steere. president ; 
treasurer. Col. E. K. Chapin : marshal, Hamilton Bagg, succeeded by Michael 
Noon. 

1888. — Board of trustees, T. A. Lewis, J. J. Carrillo, Thomas Rhodes, were 
elected. Dr. E. C. Folsom and W. S. Vawter held over. Dr. Folsom was presi- 
dent of the board. Rhodes soon resigned and E. J. Vawter took his place. 
Fred McKinnie, clerk; Col. E. K. Chapin, treasurer; attorney, J. C. Morgan. 

1890.— J. L. Allen, John Steere, J. J. Carrillo, T. A. Lewis and E. J. 
Vawter were trustees, with J. J. Carrillo president of the board ; Emmet Pollard, 
Clerk : Col. Chapin, treasurer ; M. K. Barretto, marshal ; attorney, J. C. Morgan. 

1892.— J. J. Carrillo, E. J. Vawter, R. R. Harris. T. A. Lewis, H. C. 
Bevillc, J. J. Carrillo being president of the board ; clerk, C. S. Dales ; treasurer, 
George Boehme ; marshal, M. K. Baretto ; city attorney, R. R. Tanner. 

1894.— Robert F. Jones, N. A. Roth, J. J. Carrillo, T. L. Lewis and E. 
J. X'awter were trustees, J. J. Carrillo being president of the board ; clerk, C. S. 
Dales ; treasurer, George Boehme ; marshal, M. K. Barretto ; attorney. R. 
R. Tanner ; library trustees, H. A. Winslow, O. G. Tullis, H. S. DeVan, D. L. 
Bancroft. H. C. Wevse. 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 287 

1896, — Board of trustees, Robert F. Jones, J. J. Carrillo, R. C. Gillis, 3*Ioses 
Hostetter, N. A. Roth, Jones being president; clerk, C. S. Dales; treasurer, E. 
W. Boehme ; marshal, George B. Dexter ; attorney, R. R. Tanner ; library 
trustees. Dr. P. S. Lindsey, Fred H. Taft, J. Walter Gray, T. H. Wells, William 
Stevenson. 

1898, — Board of trustees, Robert F. Jones, N. A. Roth, J. J. Carrillo, Moses 
Hostetter, R. C. Gillis, R. F. Jones was president ; clerk, J. C. Steele ; treasurer, 
E. W. Boehme; marshal, M. K. Barretto; library trustees, S. D. Belt, J. Walter 
Gray, P. S. Lindsey, Fred H. Taft, T. H. W^ells 

1900. — Board of trustees, Robert F. Jones, C. H. Sammis, J. C. Morgan, 
T. H. Dudley, N. R. Folsom; clerk, John B. Proctor; treasurer, E. W. Boehme; 
marshal, M. K. Barretto ; library trustees, J. C. Hemingway, P. S. Lindsey, C. 
I. D. Moore, Fred H. Taft, T. H, Wells. 

1902.— Board of trustees, T. H. Dudley, W. S. \'awter, J. C. Steele, C. H. 
Sammis, J. C. Morgan, T. H. Dudley serving as president ; clerk, J. C. Heming- 
wav ; treasurer, E. W. Boehme ; marshal, M. K. Barretto ; attorney, Fred H. Taft. 

1903. — First election under charter. Council, T. H. Dudley, H. X. Goetz, 
A. F. Johnston, J. C. Steele, W. S. A'awter ; clerk, J. C. Hemingway; treasurer, 
Frank W. Vogel ; assessor, C. S. Dales; recorder, A. M. Guidinger; marshal, 
M. K. Baretto; school board, W. E. Devore, J. H. Hassinger, Dr. J. S. Hunt. 
J. S. H. Jackson, S. F Carpenter, 

1906. — Mayor, T H. Dudley. Members of city council — First ward, G. D. 
Snyder ; Second ward, W, A. Armstrong ; Third ward, Abe S. Reel ; Fourth 
ward, Alf Morris; Fifth ward, H. L. Coffman ; Sixth ward, J. Euclid IMiles ; 
Seventh ward, Roscoe H. Dow. President of council, Alf Morris ; city clerk, 
J. C. Hemingway ; treasurer and tax collector, Ralph Bane ; assessor, C. S. 
Dales; attorney, S. W. Odell ; engineer, Thomas H. James; street superin- 
tendent, H. L. Johnson; building superintendent, H. L. Mitchell; police judge, 
J. J. Carrillo; chief of police, M. K. Barretto; chief of fire department, C. J. 
Marvin; health officer, Dr. W. H. Parker; superintendent of schools, Horace 
M. Rebok. Board of education, W. E. Devore, president; A. B. Clapp, E. V. 
Dales, D. G. Holt, W. S Vawter ; board of library trustees, G. A. Lonsberry, 
president; Lewis E. Bradt, A. M. Jamison, C. M. Lindsey, John Morton. 

Population of Santa Monica. 

United States census i88o 417 

United States census 1890 1.580 

United States census 1900 3,057 

Census taken by city 1905 7>0-^ 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES. 
Methodist Church. 

THE oldest record of the Methodist church of Santa Monica reads : 
" Minutes of the First Quarterly Conference for Santa Monica, held Oc- 
tober 26th, 1875, at the residence of D. G. C. Raker. The presiding elder, 
A. M. Hough, in the chair. The session was opened with prayer by the presiding^ 
elder. On motion Rev. J. D. Crum was appointed secretary. Organization: 




FIRST METHODIST CHURCH. 

The following named persons, members of the Alethodist Episcopal church, 
being ])resent, proceeded to organize a society : J. D. D. Crum, pastor ; O. A. 
Snow, local i)reacher; D. G. C. Baker, A. Button, M. J. D. Baker, Eliza Corey, 
Ida May Atkinson, Margaret Atkinson. Minnie Atkinson and Mary A. Crum. 
Abner Button was appointed class leader. Stewards: B. G. C. Baker, O. A. 
Snow and Margaret Atkinson. B. G. C. Baker, recording secretary. Trustees: 
O. A. Snow, R. M. Widney, Samuel Atkinson, B. G. C. Baker and J. B. Crum. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 289 

It was resolved that the trustees be instructed to incorporate and secure lots 
from the Santa Monica Land Company and erect a church building thereon. 
Margaret Atkinson and Mrs. M. J. D. Baker were apjjointed a committee to 
secure subscriptions to aid in the erection of a church." 

The Reverend Crum preached for the first time in Santa Monica, October 
15th, 1875, in an upper room of the buildng, then occupied as a hardware 
store, on the corner of Oregon and Fifth street. On October 29th Rev. Hough 
preached. The society continued to use this room until January 13th, 1876, 
when the pastor gave notice that there would be no service on the next Sabbath, 
but that he hoped the}' would worship in a building of their own on the second 
Sunday. And this was done. The Santa Monica Land Company donated two 
lots for the use of the church on the corner of Sixth street and Arizona avenue ; 
the people of the little town, still largely a tent city, donated money and labor. 
Rev. A. M. Hough and R. M. Widney of Los Angeles subscribed liberally, and 
the pastor, being of the long line of Methodist elders who were able to work 
with hands as well as with brain and heart, himself labored with carpenter's 
tools. The church when completed, represented a value, including lots of 
$1,361.66. This building, after being removed to the corner of Fourth and 
Arizona, enlarged several times, was finally removed to South Santa Monica 
to house the new M. E. church there. 

This building was dedicated, free from debt, on February 3rd, 1776. Rev. 
Crum was pastor of the church most of the time vmtil 1878-79. He came of 
a family of ministers, his grandfather having been one of the founders of the 
United Brethren church and having had nine grandsons who entered the Method- 
ist ministry. He had spent fifteen years in the Southern Illinois conference 
before coming to this state, where his first charge was the Santa Monica church, 
which he so ably led under many discouragements. It is of record that for his 
first year of labor here he received $230, and his salary in the subsequent years 
was pitifully inadequate. 

Rev. Crum was succeeded by Rev. S. S. Russell, who only remained a 
year, and then for three years the church was pastorless and practically dis- 
organized. A pastor was sent here in 1883-4, Rev. J. B. Howard, who found 
but three resident members of the church. He nevertheless succeeded in 
gathering a number of new nK^nbers and strengthened the church by changing 
the location. The lots on Sixth street were sold and the present location on 
Fourth street and Arizona avenue was purchased and the building removed. 

The church continued to gain slowly under various pastnrs until 1890, 
when a serious disagreement occurred between the pastor, the official board 
and the membership, and as a result thirty-one out of the fifty-three members 
withdrew and formed the Prohibition Congregational church. The blow was a 
severe one and the church did not recover its strength for two or three years. 

19 



290 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

In 1892 Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Rindge became members of the church and rendered 
much assistance to it. Rev. Wm. Stevenson was pastor, and under his minis- 
trations the church was doubled in membership and began an advance move 
which has since continued. The Epworth League was formed this year. Dr. 
Stevenson remained as pastor of the church until 1897 and was then given 
a farewell reception which expressed somewhat the honor and love which he 
had inspired, not only in the church, but among the citizens of the town 
generally. 

In June, 1895, it was announced that Frederick H. Rindge proposed to 
build a new church building, free of all cost to the church, provided it would 
agree to meet the pastor's salary and all incidental expenses. In consequence 
on August 13th. 1895, ground was broken for this building and on the first 
Sabbath in 1896, the most beautiful Methodist church building in Southern 
California was dedicated. 

In 1897-98 Rev. R. C. Wuestenberg was pastor and the membership was 
increased to 150, while the Sunday school numbered from 250-270. In July, 
1898, it was voted to remove the old church to South Santa Monica, where a 
mission was holding service in the old Santa Fe depot. But after some agitation 
the action was not taken. In August, 1899, a church was organized, then 
known as South Santa Monica M. E. church, with Rev. F. G. H. Stevens as 
pastor, the mission having been served by Rev. Robert Fisher. In December, 
the old church was donated to the new organization and was moved to Ocean 
Park. A new parsonage was erected on the site of the old parsonage. 

Rev. C. T. Wilson and Rev. T. H. Woodward served as pastors and Rev. 
J. C. Healy served during 1901 to 1903. During his term the parsonage was 
completed, a neat cottage which was a decided addition to the advantages of 
the church. In 1903 came Rev. F. G. H. Stevens, who still remains — one of 
the ablest and best beloved of the many good men who have served this church. 

Now, in 1907, the church has a membership of 240, while the Svmday 
school reaches 350. So rapid has been the growth of the church and congre- 
gations that the church of ten years ago is inadequate and an addition which 
will more than double the seating capacity of the structure is in course of 
erection. 

First Presi'.yteriax Church of Santa Monica. 

The history of the Presbyterian church of Santa Monica dates back to 
September 12th. 1875, when a Sunday school was organized at the house of 
W. D. Vawter, on Fourth street, the present home of the Misses Vawter. Later 
this school met in a hall on the corner of Fifth and Oregon, generously ofifered 
to them by Mr. J. O. Brady. 

On Septetmber 24th. a ]:)etition signed by twelve persons, was sent to the 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 291 

Rev. Dr. White, chairman of the committee of the I^resbxtery, asking him to 
come to Santa Monica and ori>anize a Presbyterian church. ( )n Tuesday, 
September 28th, Dr. White met with the petitioners and organized them in 
accordance with their request into the " First Presbyterian Church of Santa 
Monica." Tlie names of the petitioners were as follows: Mr. R. S. I)assett, 
Mrs. E. Bassett, Miss Rose Bassett. Mr. T. H. Clark, Mrs. E. Mountain, Misses 
Mattie A. Mountain, Mr. L. M. Perkins, Mrs. S. P. Perkins, :\Irs. C. A. 
\'awter, Miss May Vawter, Miss Jennie \"awter, Miss Emma \'awter. The 
trustees of the new organization were: Y. S. Grinshaw, E. J. \'awter. G. W. 
Brady, W. S. A^awter. 

The new society proceeded at once to provide themselves with a ])ermanent 
place of worship. Messrs. Jones and Baker presented the church with two 
lots at the corner of Third and Arizona, and on these was erected the chapel 
which for eleven years was used, and was then moved to the rear of the lots, 
enlarged, and used for infant classes, mid-week meetings and socials. The 
Presbyterian Board of Church Erection assisted in building this first church, 
work on which was commenced January 17th, 1876, and which was dedicated 
March 12th. 

On Sunday, July loth, 1887, a move was made for building a more com- 
modious place of worship. On that day Col. Elliott F. Shepherd, proprietor 
of the New York Mail and Express, and an elder of the Fifth Avenue Presby- 
terian church of New York City, happened to be present and, hearing that the 
church intended to build, started the list with a subscription of $230. Encour- 
aged by this beginning, a committee consisting of Mrs. Mary E. Treadwell and 
Miss Jennie Vawter was appointed to canvas the congregation and community. 
By their energetic efforts sufficient funds were soon subscribed to erect and 
enclose the new church building. But before the completion of the work came 
the collapse of the boom and many of the subscriptions were not paid in. The 
ladies of the church met this condition and it is largely due to their efforts that 
the church was finally completed and dedicated, Sunday, September 4th, 1892. 
The ladies held a memorable series of entertainments during the four years of 
church building. The success of the Santa Monica ladies in taking the first prize 
at the Floral Festival in Los Angeles, suggested the idea of a Floral Festival at 
home. In 1889 'i "Feast of Flowers" was held in the new church building, then 
unfinished, which was arranged by the ladies of the town under the auspices of 
the Presbyterian ladies and which was acknowledged as one of the most beautiful 
floral exhibits ever made in Southern California. The succeeding year a 
Kalendar Kirmess was given, lasting three days, the booths representing the 
months and the whole conception most artistically designed and carried out. 
In 1891 another *' Spring Festival " was held which was an equally rich display 
of Santa Monica's floral wealth. These affairs were participated in by the 



292 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

people of Santa Monica generally and attracted many visitors from Los Angeles 
and other places. Mnch of their success was due to the energy and executive 
ability of the committee of which Miss Jennie Vawter was chairman. 

The new church is of the Queen Anne style, ceiled and wainscoted within 
with cedar, lighted with stained glass windows and electrical chandeliers, and 
with a seating capacity of 250. The total cost was about $7,000, of which over 
$1,000 was contributed by Mr. W. D. Vawter, to whose encouragement at the 
outset and liberal contributions, the success of the undertaking was largely 
due. It was built under the supervision of a committee consisting of Messrs. 
W. S. Vawter, Patrick Robertson and E. H. Sweetser. 

In the summer of 1907 a fine pipe organ was placed in the church as a 
memorial gift from Mr. Joseph H. Clark to the memory of his son, Edward 
H. Clerk. It was built by the Estey Company and was installed at a cost 
of $2,600. 

The following ministers have served the church since 1875 ^s pastors, or 
as stated supplies: I. M. Condit, H. V. Noyes, John W. Ellis, H. Mackay, 
Thos. F. Fotheringham, Williel O. Thompson, J. W. Healy, Richmond Logan, 
James White, Samuel H. Weller, Enos P. Baker, J. B. Stewart, William R. 
Henderson, O. F. Wisner, Amos A. Randall, Henry P. Wilber. The following 
have served as ruling elders : G. H. Clark, J. C. Olmstead, Geo. A. Armtsrong, 
William E. Case, H. H. Dow, George D. Rowan, Andrew J. Viele, John M. 
Coyner, James E. Ward, C. S. Dales. Clarkson N. Guyer, T. H. Wells, H. J. 
White, T. E. Cramer. 

Catholic Church. 

July 28th, 1877, the Outlook states, saw the celebration of mass, for the 
first time in the new town of Santa Monica. The service was held in the house 
of Judge Morgan, Reverend Father Verdaguer, the beloved " Father Peter " of 
the Plaza church, Los Angeles, presiding. Services were probably held at 
irregular intervals thereafter until May 4th. 1884, when the Catholic church was 
opened for use, although it was not completed until the following year. On 
August 1 8th, T885, the bell of the church was blessed and the church was 
dedicated. 

In May, 1886, came Father Patrick Hawe as pastor of the church, and since 
that date Father Hawe has been the mainspring of the parish and the church 
work in this vicinity. Under his supervision was built the parochial house 
adjoining the church and the addition to the orginal church building which 
was dedicated August 19th, 1888, by Bishop Mora. In 1887 the statue of 
Saint Monica was presented to the church by Mrs. Victor Ponet, of Los 
Angeles. Also this year was built the Catholic church at Ballona. now Palms, 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 293 

St. Augustine's — named for the son of Saint Monica very fittingly, since this 
mission was an ofifshoot of Saint Monica's church. 

In 1899, Julv i6th, a small band of Sisters of the Holy Name, came to 
Santa Monica to establish an academy. They rented a private house on Fourth 
street, and September 4th, opened their school with nineteen pupils. The 
year closed with fifty-two childrn under the charge of the Sisters. 

September 26th, 1890, the ground was broken for the building of the 
Academy of Holy Names on the corner of Third and Arizona streets. February 
22nd, 1901, witnessed the dedication of the new building. This was an im- 
pressive ceremony and the occasion is one that will long live in the memory of 
the participants and witnesses. The civic services were the finest ever held in 
Santa Monica. Under the management of the grand marshal, J- J- Carrillo 
and his fifty aides, richly caprisoned as Spanish cabelleros, the parade was 
viewed in front of the academy. It consisted of a number of old soldiers from 
the Soldiers' Home ; a float representing all the states and territories ; two 
brass bands ; nine societies from Los Angeles ; Santa Monica Board of Trustees 
and fire department, and the children from the academy, the Ballona, Santa 
Monica and Canyon Sunday schools. As General La Grange, and the city 
officials, escorting the clergy, left their carriages the home band played 
" patriotic songs and the cannon of the Soldiers' Home boomed, while the flag 
unfurled and spilled the fragrant roses hidden within its folds." The mayor 
of Los Angeles welcomed the guests; Right Reverend Bishop Montgomery 
delivered the oration. Thus was the school inaugurated in its beautiful home. 

On May 5th, 1903, the academy was honored by a visit from Rev. Arch- 
bishop Diomede Falconi, representative in this country of the Pope, Leo XIII. 
The occasion was made a festal day and the distinguished guest was paid every 
honor, not only by the clergy and laity of the Catholic church, but by the city 
officials and citizens generally. July loth, 1903. was a day long remembered 
in the annals of Santa Monica. It was given up to the entertainment of the 
Knights of Columbia, who had that year held their annual session in Los 
Angeles. The streets and buildings were brilliantly decorated and the popula- 
tion turned out to welcome the guests who, in turn, gazed with admiration upon 
the chaums of fair Santa Monica. The day was still further marked by the 
inauguration of a council of the Knights of Columbus in this city, a council 
which has flourished and is now a powerful ally of the church. 

In 1904. under the auspices of Bishop Conaty, now head of this diocese, 
the Catholic Teachers' Institute was held in this city, and since that date these 
institutes have been an annual feature of the life of the Sisters who are engaged 
in teaching. As guests of the .Academy of the Hol\- Name they spend two 




RE\'. PATRICK HAWK. 



HISTORY UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 295 

weeks each summer in listening to the instructions and lectures of distinguished 
teachers. 

But perhaps the most glorious of all gala days in the annals of Saint 
Monica's was the celebration of May 8th, 1904. This was a triple festival, for 
it marked the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Church of Saint 
Monica's, the eighteenth year of Father Hawe's service to this parish and the 
dedication of the church of St. Clement, of Ocean Park. This church had been 
started by Father Hawe ten years before as a mission. The corner-stone for 
the handsome building was laid on August 24th, 1903, and the church was 
finally dedicated August 20th, 1905. The Reverend Michael Hennessy is the 
rector of this church. 

The chapel at the Soldiers' Home is also included in Father Hawe's parish, 
he having held the first services on the grounds of the Home, soon after it was 
instituted in 1889. A beautiful building has been erected by the government, 
containing two chapels — one for the use of the Protestant churches and one for 
Catholic services. The churches now included in the parish of Saint Monica 
are four, beside the academy. The entire number of communicants is large. 

January 15th, 1903, Reverend James A. O'Callaghan came to Santa Monica 
to relieve the head of the parish and assist him in his labors. Father O'Callag- 
han is a man of fine education and of superior qualities and has been of the 
greatest value to the parish. In 1906 Father Hawe visited the home of his 
birth and also visited the venerable Father Adam, of beloved memory through- 
out California. During his stay in Europe Father Hawe also visited Rome 
and received the blessing of the Pope. He is again welcomed to his own field 
where he guides the many ailairs co-incident with so large and important a 
parish. 

Plans are already made for greatly enlarging the work of the Catholic 

church in Santa Monica. It is hoped soon to begin work upon a cathedral 

which shall be a magnificent expression of worship, to be located on the corner 

of California avenue and Fourth street. The Christian Brothers, a Catholic 

organization, has recently secured a site of eleven acres between California 

and Nevada avenues. Ninth and Eleventh streets. Here a large college for 

boys will be established. 
% 

Episcopal Church — Saint Augustine-by-the;-Sea. 

The first Episcopalian service held in this city was an Easter service in 
Roger's Hall, April 15th, 1876. The hall was suitably decorated for the occa- 
sion and the Rev. J. B. Gray officiated. After this there was talk of forming 
an Episcopal society here and a number expressed themselves willing to con- 
tribute to a building fund for such a church ; but it was not until about Novem- 
ber, 1885, that services were regularly held and a Sunday school organized. At 



296 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



that time the Kcv. Henry Scott jetferys, of Los Angeles, was appointed by 
Ijishop Kip as missionary in charge of the work and at once proceeded to secure 
land and monev for the erection of an Episcopal church. Senator Jones and 
]\Irs. Baker donated two lots on Fourth street and an active building committee, 
consisting of Rev. JelTerys, Messrs. Baxter and Tomkinson, set to work to get 
the needed subscriptions. At the end of the first year of Mr. JetTery's labors, 
sixteen adults and twenty-two children were connected with the mission. 

The corner-stone for a chapel to cost 
$3,000 was laid with much ceremony on 
June 10th, 1887. Bishop Wingfield acted 
for the Bishop of California and there 
were present beside the Bishop, the Rev. 
l{lias Birdsell, rector of St. Paul's church, 
Los Angeles; the Rev. A. G. C. Trew, of 
San Gabriel; the Rev. J. D. H. Browne, 
rector of All Saints' church, Pasadena ; 
the Rev. J. B. Britton, a retired mission- 
ary and the missionary in charge. In 
1888, through the successful labors of 
.Mr. JeiTerys and the people the new 
church was opened for divine worship 
and a large congregation assembled, the 
preacher being the rector of Pasadena. 

Mr. Jefferys resigned in the early 

part of 1889 and the Rev. Orrin Judd, 

of North Carolina, succeeded him. Mr. 

Judd had come to California broken down 

in health ; but he was a most eloquent 

preacher, which gift led to his resignation 

of this charge a year later to accept the 

new church of St. John on West Adams 

street, Los Angeles, which had been built 

in order to find a ]^lace for him in the city. 

During Mr. Judd's incumbency the work 

prospered and considerable additions were 

made to the membership of the church. 

The Rev. P. S. Ruth, of Pomona, officiated temporarily until September, 

1891, when the Rev. I. M. M. Jones became rector. Mr. Jones remained in 

charge for nearly six years and during that period the Parish Hall was built 

and in manv ways the church made progress. On the resignation of Mr. Jones, 




KEV. J. D. 11. UliOWNK. 



HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 297 

the Rev. Edward Meany officiated temporarily and, at a critical time in the 
history of the congregation, maintained the regular services of the church and 
did much to arouse the people. When, in May, 1900, Mr. Meany's school duties 
in Los Angeles compelled him to resign, he was succeeded by the present rector, 
the Rev. John D. H. Browne, who had been for sixteen years in Southern Cali- 
fornia and who had just resigned St. John's church, San Bernardino. 

During the nearly eight years that have intervened since Mr. Browne 
assumed the work, there has been steady growth. The church building has 
been enlarged at a cost of $3,000, and has also been beautified by many costly 
memorials. The parish hall has been enlarged and finished within, and a $600 
piano provided, with many other improvements made. The roll of communi- 
cants has increased from 2^] to 201. The contributions for the parish and for 
the missionary funds of the diocese and the foreign field have multiplied many- 
fold. The baptisms have been over 100 and the confirmations 75. The Sunday 
school has grown very much and under the care of Mr. Percy J. Dudley, as 
superintendent, is accomplishing a good work, especially among the boys. The 
Parish Guild, the Woman's Auxiliary, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, the 
Daughters of the King, the Junior Auxiliary are all in active life and meeting 
the needs of old and young. 

The Parish of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea has come to occupy the seventh 
place among the parishes of the diocese and bids fair to continue to grow in 
importance and increase in influence for good in the life of the city. The 
present officers of the parish and members of the vestry are: Rev. John D. H. 
Browne, rector; Plon. T. H. Dudley, senior warden; Mr. C. S. Raynor, junior 
warden ; Mr. J. £5. Proctor, vestry clerk ; Mr. Percy J. Dudley, treasurer ; Mr. 
J. F. Ordway, Mr. E. L. Young, Mr. H. J. Blake and Mr. C. C. Alelville. 

Baptist Church. 

In April, 1889, Mrs. Drane living on vSouth Third street, near Sand street, 
gathered together a number of the children in that neighborhood and started 
a union Sunday school in her home. Sunday, January 12th, 1890, a call having 
been made by G. B. Studd and J. O. Mathewson for a Sunday school in South 
Santa Monica, about forty-two persons gathered at the house of Mr. Mathewson. 
at the corner of Bay and South Sixth streets. A school was organized and 
Mr. Andrew Mills was chosen as superintendent, a position which he filled for 
six years. For a time the school was held in the old school house and then in 
the house of Captain Clark, Fourth and Strand. This rough cottage was 
adapted for Sunday services as far as possible and neighboring pastors were 
frequently invited to preach here. 

PVom February ist, 1890, until Xovember 3rd, 1892, Rev. A. P. Brown. 



298 HISTORY UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

pastor of the Baptist church at i'ahns, preached on alternate Sunday afternoons- 
at Ocean Park. Three pupils were baptized from the ( )cean I'ark school into- 
the membership of the Palms church. In 1891, Rev. W. W. Tinker became- 
district secretary of the American Baptist Home ^lissionary society. He pro- 
posed to erect a chapel in commemoration of J. O. Mathewson, who had passed' 
awav the previous year. September 5th, 1892, this was dedicated as the 
" Baptist Mission." a branch of the Palms church. It cost $700, was furnished 
with 100 chairs, a pulpit and a baby organ. Dr. Daniel Read, of Los Angeles, 
preached the dedicatory sermon. During 1893-4 Rev. H. S. Baker, pastor of 
Palms church, preached regularly in the chapel, assisted by Mr. Charles Baird 
as singer. 

In 1895, Rev. Mr. Thomason, pastor at Palms, preached regularly. In 
June the church was encouraged by a visit from Rev. E. G. Wheeler and the 
chapel car " Emanuel." The same month the annual convention of Southern 
California Baptists was held in the Y. M. C. A. Pavilion at Ocean Park. Iir 
1896 the church at Palms ceased to exist and the interest fell ofif very materially 
at Ocean Park. July 2()th. Rev. Mr. French, who had located in Ocean Park 
for his health, began to hold services in the chapel and organized a new Sunday 
school. He also organized a Baptist church of sixteen members. In Septem- 
ber, 1896, Rev. T. F. Tooker took charge of the little church and conducted the 
services and Sunday school for some time. In 1898, Rev. Chas. Pedley, a 
graduate of Charles Spurgeon's college, in London, located in Santa Monica, 
and acted as pastor of the church until the spring of 1899. After his departure 
the work languished and the Sunday school died out. The Methodists were 
granted the use of the building for their services until 1900 when they secured' 
their own church. 

In January, 1902, Prof. C. S. Taylor, vice-principal of the Santa Monica 
High School, and Mr. F. C. Marvin came to Santa Monica to reside. They 
interested themselves in looking up the Baptists of the community and in 
December, 1902, Rev. George Taylor, of Sawtelle. preached in the 
Baptist chapel, and again organized a Santa Monica liaptist church, 
fourteen members. This church was brought into connection with the Southern- 
California Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Home Mission society. 
It was served by various preachers until February 15th. 1903. when Rev. L. 
A. Gould was called as pastor and took up his residence here. September 7th, 
1903, the church was admitted into full membership with the Baptist ConventioiT 
and recognition services were held, many guests being present and the charge 
being delivered by Rev. Robert Burdette. Rev. Gould remained as pastor untiE 
he was succeeded bv Rev. M. M. ^Tason. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 299 

PiiNTEcosTAL Church of the Nazarkne. 
This church, whose articles of faith are identical with those of the Weselyan 
Methodist society, was organized in 1906 as a result of neighborhood meetings 
held in the home of J. E. Pearsall. corner of Michigan avenue and Twentieth 
street. The new church was incor])orated the same year with Rev. Thos. 
Fisher, pastor of the church. Chas. Allsman and J. E. Pearsall. as trustees. 
Messrs. Towner and Irwin donated a lot on the corner of Michgan avenue and 
Nineteenth street and a neat building, costing about $2,000, was erected. The 
membership is now twenty-six and the Sunda}- school has sixty members. 

Women's Christian Temperance Union. 

In the summer of [885 a few earnest women, among whom was Mrs. Jane 
Austin, Miss Niles, Miss E. A. Dow, Mrs. I. D. Richmond, and others, organized 
a W. C. T. U. in Santa Monica. These women felt that there was much need 
of their labors here as at that time there were a dozen saloons in the place. They 
took over the reading room which had been previously started in the hope of 
interesting the boys and the young people, and at once set about an earnest 
effort to support the reading room and library and to improve the moral tone 
of their beautiful town. They rented the lower room in the two-story frame 
building now owned by them on Third street. Bv means of soliciting subscrip- 
tions, giving suppers and dinners, socials and teas, and in many other ways 
which demanded the strength and time of the faithful workers, they managed 
to keep the reading room open and to add many books to those already collected. 
The early efforts that were made to keep the library and reading room up have 
been told in the history of the Santa Monica Public Library, of which this 
library was the foundation. 

In 1887 the ladies determined to purchase the building which thev were 
occupying and the owner. Mr. John Steere, made them a very reasonable rate, 
for boom times, putting the price at $2,500 and giving them their own time to 
pay in, provided the interest was kept up. The women, Mrs. Austin, then 
president, Mrs. D. B. Hubbell. vice-president and in charge of the library, and 
Mrs. Richmond, secretary, worked very hard to maintain the undertaking; but 
when dull times came in 1889. they found the burden too much and Mr. Steere 
took back the building and returned the money. $350, which thev had paid on it. 
They continued to occupy the same room as their reading room, however, and 
on Mr. Steere's death, in 1892. he willed this building to the W. C. T. U. of 
Santa Monica, on condition that the}- maintain a perpetual free reading room. 

This the organization has done. The large upper room is pleasantly fitted 
up and a supply of reading matter and books are kept on hand for circulation 
and for use in the room. A large amount of literature has been distributed b\- 
this society, also, to ships, camps of laboring men, canyons and school districts. 



300 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

For eii^ht years Airs. Elizabeth Hughes, of Sawtelle, was president of the 
organization and much efficient work w'as done under her direction. Mrs. T. 
Hughes Lodge has acted as president or vice-president of the union and has 
the supervision of the reading room. The present officers are Mrs. Mattie 
Barrett, president; Mrs. T. Hughes Lodge, vice-president; Mrs. Ada Schutte, 
secretary; Mrs. Clara Odell. corresponding secretary; Miss Sarah Much, 
treasurer. 

Woman's Clut. of Santa Monica. 

In September, iy04, a lecture class in history was organized by Miss 
Elizabeth McLaughlin, with Miss M. E. Abbott as lecturer. The first class was 
held at the home of Miss McLaughlin, after wdiich the sessions were held in a 
cottage, on Nevada avenue until the class outgrew this and was removed to 
Columbia Hall. On December 8th, 1904, the members of this class formed an 
organization, with Mrs. D. G. Stephens as president and Miss McLaughlin as 
secretary and treasurer. This was in reality the organization of the Woman's 
Club, although the name" club " was not taken at this time. During the spring 
Miss Abbott resigned her place as lecturer and other ladies were secured, the 
subjects not being confined to history. 

December nth, 1905, the first annual meeting of the organization was 
held at which time the by-laws were amended, a regular corps of officers elected 
and the name changed to Woman's Club. Mrs. Daniel G. Stepliens, who is 
only second to Madame Severance, as a club mother in Southern California, was 
made honorary president; Mrs. A. M. Jamison was elected president; Mrs. J. 
S. Hunt and Mrs. E. H. Hutton, vice-presidents; Miss Elizabeth McLaughlin, 
secretary and Mrs. Jessica Clark, treasurer. In recognition of Miss McLaugh- 
lin's service to the club as secretary and organizer, she was made a life associate 
member, with all the privileges of active membership. The first meetings of 
this year were held in Columbia Hall, Mrs. M. R. King generously paying the 
rent. Lectures and musical programs were given and the club increased in 
interest and membership. During this year a civic committee was appointed of 
which Mrs. J. P. Jones was the first chairman, succeeded by Mrs. Arthur 
Noble. This committee did most efifective service, having secured the preserva- 
tion of the trees and the improvement of Nevada avenue, presented a petition 
to the school hoard, pointing out the necessity of a new school building to 
replace the Sixth street school house, which was a patchwork made up of 
additions to the original structure erected in 1876. The town had just voted 
the sum of $56,000 for building three new school houses, and it was thought 
imj)ossible to carry another hond election for school ]iurposcs at this time. 
But the ladies circulated a petition and received such encouragement that the 
election was held and the money for the beautiful Tcfferson building voted. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 301 

The Woman's Club has also aided in preventing- the issuance of new liquor 
licenses. During 1907 they voted a scholarship fund to be used in keeping a 
bright girl who otherwise must have given up school, in the high school of 
Santa Monica. Surely a more practical and beautiful service could not be 
found. As will be seen this club has done most effective work in benefiting 
the community, as well as furnishing its members with much intellectual and 
social pleasure and development. 

The third annual meeting of the club was held December nth, 1906, in 
the Royal Arcanum Hall, the use of which was donated by Mr. Robert F. Jones. 
At this meeting the former officers were re-elected and a new constitution and 
by-laws were adopted. During the year of 1906-7 the club entertained the 
Woman's Parliament of Southern California, of which their Honorary President, 
Mrs. Stephens, was the founder. Many interesting programs and social affairs 
were offered the members and their friends. 

At the annual meeting of 1907, Mrs. A. M. Jamison, who had served most 
efficiently as president for two years, declined a re-election and Miss Charlena 
Welch was chosen as president. 

Santa Monica Lodge No. 906, B. P. O. E. 
On April 12th, 1907, Santa Monica Lodge of Elks was organized as Santa 
Monica Lodge No. 906, B. P. O. E., the Los Angeles Lodge to the number of 
300 coming down to initiate the new lodge. After the ceremonies of initiation 
400 Elks sat down to a banquet in the old Pavilion, which was one of the mo.st 
memorable aft'airs of the many that took place in the old building. The first 
officers of the lodge were : First Exalted Ruler, Brother W. T. Gillis ; Esteemed 
Leading Knight, Robert F. Jones ; Esteemed Loyal Knight, T. H. Dudley ; 
Esteemed Lecturing Knight, G. F. Doty ; treasurer, J. Euclid Miles ; secretary, 
J. B. Proctor; tyler, H. I. Pritchard ; trustees, H. G. Englebrecht, C. M. Lindsey, 
E. S. Tomblin. 

The first lodge rooms of the Elks were located over the Santa Monica bank. 
Later they removed their rooms to the Columbia building where they are at 
present located. Soon after the organization of the lodge it acquired the prop- 
erty on the corner of Ocean and Arizona avenues, formerly the home of ^Irs. 
Doria Jones, of Los Angeles, one of the most commodious family residences in 
Santa Monica. This was altered and refitted as a club house for the use of the 
members of the Elks Lodge and is one of the pleasantest and cosiest club houses 
in the country. 

At the Elks' reunion, held on the top of Mt. Wilson, May 27th. 28th and 
29th, 1904, the newly formed Santa Monica lodge — a " Baby Lodge," as it was 
known — won a very handsome grandfather's clock for the best average attend- 
ance reported. On June 5th, 1905, this lodge went to San Pedro in a body to 
assist in the initiation of San Pedro Lodge, No. 966, and thus is ceased to be 



■M^SMi^K 




MAJOR ROBERT DOTXARD. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 303 

-the " Baby Lodge." On September 8th, 9th and loth, T905, the Santa ^^lonica 
lodge assisted in entertaining a reunion of the Elks of Southern California in 
Santa Monica canyon. One of the features of this occasion was a genuine old- 
fashioned barbecue. Each Christmas since its organization the lodge has pre- 
pared a Christmas tree for the youngsters of the town, at which those wHo 
have little promise of Christmas cheer are especially remembered. 

The Past Exalted Rulers of the lodge since its organization are: W. T. 
Gillis, J. C. Hemingway, P. S. Lindsey, W. G. Miller, who is the present 
occupant of the chair; J. B. Proctor remained secretary since the formation of 
the lodge. The present membership is about 215. and the lodge is in a most 
flourishing condition. 

Graxd Army of the Repubuc. 

Fort Fisher Post, G. A. R., No. 137, Department of California and Nevada, 
was organized in 1885. J. J. Mohen, H. M. Russell, J. W. Keith, G. T. Hol- 
ford, J. L. Allen, R. P. Elliott, C. B. Fuller, Guy C. Alanville, F. A. Westover, 
George Young, W. R. Waldron and Henry Gardner were the charter members 
•of this post. In June, 1887, Fort Fisher Relief Corps was installed, with Mrs. 
Josephine Baxter, president ; Airs. E. Gaddy and Mrs. Sadie Bennett, vice-pres- 
idents ; Miss Mary Elliott, secretary; Mrs. Alice IMosse, treasurer, and Mrs. 
Rebecca Gulberson, chaplain. 

In February, 1887, John A. Logan Post was organized in Santa Monica, 
with H. M. Russell as president, J. Mohen secretary, and with twelve members. 
This was later merged with John A. Martin Post, Soldiers' Home. 

Fort Fisher Post flourished until about 1901, when the enthusiasm died 
out and the organization was disbanded. The old soldiers and the Relief Corps 
had always taken a prominent part on public occasions and especially on Me- 
morial day, and were much missed from the civic organizations. 

On May 20th, 1907, a number of old soldiers met and resolved to form a 
new post, to be known as the Stephen Jackson Post, No. 191. The post com- 
mander of this organization is Robert Bollard; senior vice-commander, A. N. 
Archer; junior vice-commander, David Johnson; chaplain, T. B. Fisher; quar- 
termaster, S. D. Hayes ; officer of the day, J. W. Bowlden ; officer of the guard, 
J. N. Lewis; adjutant, H. C. Towner. Charter members, George Young, J. 
L. Ferguson, Thomas Gilroy, W. W. R. Mattox, A. G. Ford. S. A. Wheeler, 
C. L. Wells, James P. Rutledge, L. M. Pence, M. D. Gage, C. W. Loving. D.' 
W. Collis, J. M. McGlinch, Loyal L. Case, I. J. Lucas, Ed. Forbes, J. Teach. 
J. O. Hodgson, Peter Mardy (deceased), J. A. Greenlaw, G. W. Heimer, R. 
P. Elliott, A. Lockridge, E. R. Kennedy, W. W. Woodruff, A. Felix Gandv, 
George Pulham. James Stone. 

Ladies' Grand Army Circle was organized as Fremont Circle, No. ^7, De- 
partment of California and Nevada, 1904. Mrs. Mamie Young, president; Mrs. 
S. A. Wheeler, vice-president ; Mrs. Zoe Phvfer, treasurer. 




FK.WK D. LAWTOX. 



CHAPTER IX. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Outdoor Pastimes. 

FOR many years Santa Monica was the center of out-door sports in South- 
ern California. The tennis tournaments held on the Casino courts and 
the polo races of the Santa Monica Polo club were events which annually 
drew the " swell " crowd of Los Angeles and Southern California and sometimes 
attracted visitors from San Francisco and the north. While the surf bathing, 
salt water fishing-, swimming and bicycle races, baseball and Spanish sports 
drew everybody who cared for any kind of sport to this city. 

One of the first organizations completed in the village of Santa Monica 
was that of a baseball club known as " The Bonitas," formed in October, 1875, 
with T. Cronan, as president; J. J. Mason, vice-president; S. B. Adams,' secre- 
tary, and T. H. DuPuy, treasurer. There is no record of the games they played, 
but no doubt they won victories, over somebody and were dulv beaten' in turn.' 
One of the earliest and most popular of the long list of amusements which have 
proved "attractions " were the " Ring Tournaments " ridden by gallant knights, 
which were an exciting display of horsemanship. On June 13th, 1876, one of 
these occurred in which B. F. Reid was costumed as the " Knight of Fairfax ;" 
L. L. Hope appeared as " Fleur de Lis;" H. M. Aiitchell was " Old Dominion," 
and Miss Carrie Heath was "Queen of Beauty and Love." Other contests 
were between teams made up of Native Californians, led bv J. J. Carrillo and 
Americans led by B. F. Reid. These " ring tournaments "' drew such Su'nday 
crowds that the facilities of the L. A. & L were taxed to haul them all. Prize 
pigeon shooting contests were another favorite pastime of early days and some 
very skillful marksmen are recorded as taking part in them. 

In July, 1887, a lawn tennis club was formed in Santa Monica and soon 
afterward a lawn tennis association was incorporated under the name of the 
Santa Monica Improvement Club with Abbot Kinnev, Col. Baker, Senator [ones 
Hon. James Bettner, W. J. Broderick, I. W. Hellman. ludge W. P. Gardiner' 
J. Downey Harvey, J. E. Plater, H. G. Wilshire, A Campbell lohnston, H. B. 
Lockwood. Patrick Robertson, Judge W. S. Van Dyke and Hugh Vail as 
dn-ectors. They at once secured the grounds on North Third street and soon' 
had a fund of $10,000 in hand for the erection of a club house. The Casino 
courts were at once gotten into shape, and August 31st a tournament of the 
Southern California Association " beginners " was held, at which representatives 
20 



306 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

from Pasadena, San Gabriel, Pomona, Los Angeles, Riverside and Santa Monica 
took part. The play lasted four days and ended with a grand ball in Steere's 
opera house, then just completed. The first annual tournament of the Southern 
California Association was held this year at Riverside, and the Santa Monica 
club took part. In t888 the Casino had been completed and the courts put in 
fine shaj)e and from that time on the annual tournaments of the Southern 
California Association were held here. On these courts many close games and 
fine plays have been made and Santa Monica is justly proud of the fact that 
two ladies who have won worldwide distinction as players, won their first 
laurels on the Casino courts — Miss Marion Jones, who in 1897 won the cham- 
pionship of the Pacific coast and in 1900 the national championship at 
Philadelphia ; and Miss May Sutton who has now won the international 
championship. 

For years the annual tennis tournament and the polo races at Santa Monica 
were the great events of the year. Here gathered the prettiest girls, the 
dressiest dames and the handsomest and most athletic of the college men. The 
tennis teas, the parties and the balls that accompanied them were the gayest 
of social affairs and during the tennis week, Mirimar was alive with guests and 
the Hotel Arcadia was as gay as a Saratoga Springs hostelry " in the season." 
In those days the Hugh Tevises of San Francisco and the Bradburys of Los 
Angeles appeared in their drags and added color to the gatherings. In 1891, 
the tennis season was especially gay. Among the players who won honors in 
these earlier vears were the Chase brothers of Riverside, Theodore Coulter, Art 
Bumiller, the Carters, ]\Iiss Tufts and Miss Shoemaker. 

In 1900 a new Casino was built to take the place of the old club house 
which had been burned down the year before. The presence of the Sutton 
sisters at the tournament this year made the occasion memorable, especially as 
this season marked the first victories of May Sutton, she winning the Southern 
California championship at this time. In 1904 the same brilliant player won the 
American championship and in 1905 she secured the title of " Champion of 
All England," repeating English triumph again in 1907. An English paper 
thus describes Miss Sutton : 

" Magnificently muscular, she appears to care nothing for the minor 
graces, nor even the little tricks and dodges in which her male compatriots 
indulge. She is all for the rigor of the game. There is no tripping after the 
ball with her, no showing off of her figure at the net. She just stands near the 
base line for the most part and sends the ball over the net in terrific drives. 
Yet, with it all, there is nothing offensively masculine about her. She gives 
one the impression of being just a fine, healthy, athletic, American girl. She 
is, at any rate, a kind of tennis player that will take a deal of beating." — Lei- 
cester C /iron id c (Biii^Hsh). 



HISTORY UF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 307 

Of late years the School Tennis meets have been a feature of the tennis 
courts and here Santa Monica has developed a new set of champions. In 1903 
Miss Elizabeth Ryan, step-daughter of Mayor Dudley, won the championship 
in ladies' singles in the Interscholastic League play and since then Miss Ryan 
and her sister have won many honors both at home and on other courts. Miss 
Elizabeth has this year won a championship in British Columbia. 

A polo club was organized in Santa Alonica in 1877, but it did not find 
either members or ponies enough to make up a satisfactory game. In 1878, the 
club played a game with Manuel Marquez and four other Mexicans from the 
canyon — and was beaten. Apparently it did not survive the shock. In 1889 
the Southern California Polo Club was formed at Santa Monica, grounds were 
donated to them by Messrs. Jones and Baker, and they began to play in earnest. 
This club was largely made up of Englishmen, of whom there were a number 
then resident in the vicinity. Mr. R. P. Carter, who later was known on the 
stage, playing for a time with Modjeska's company, was one of the enthusiasts. 
Dr. J. A. Edmonds, G. L. Waring, W. H. Young, J. B. Proctor, J. Machell and 
a number of other gentlemen were members of this organization. Many sports- 
men in Southern California will remember some of the fast and knowing ponies 
who were trained in these games. One of the first essays of the Polo Club was 
a public exhibition of polo in Los Angeles. This resulted in a disastrous 
financial failure and the club would have " gone broke " had it not been for a 
benefit performance gotten up by Mr. R. P. Carter and given in Santa Monica, 
which saved them. For fifteen years the polo club held race meetings every 
year at Santa Monica. In 1897 a match game was played here with the 
Burlingham team, from the north. In 1902, the annual races were held at 
Ocean Park. The chief supporter of this club has been Mr. G. L. Waring, 
who has labored with never-dying enthusiasm to keep the sport alive — amid 
many discouragements. 

In 1892 a Cricket club was organized and for several years cricket was 
played by its votaries and cricket tournaments were added to the attractions of 
Santa Monica. Among the best-known players were A. Balch, J. A. Lester, 
C. L. Waring, who is a typical English sportsman, Edward Cawston, R. H. 
H. Chapman, and others. 

Of course with the coming of golf into favor, golf links were laid out in 
Santa Monica and became a favorite game. In 1898 links were laid out on the 
North Side and also at Ocean Park, and since then the Country Club Golf Links 
of Ocean Park have seen some notable games, and have been the center of 
much social gayety. Tennis courts were also laid out here and the club house 
has been a gathering place for those who enjoy outdoor life. 

During the rage of the cycling fever the annual road race on July Fourth 
was the leading event of the vear to bic^■cle racers. On those davs Santa ^Monica 



308 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

was crowded with dusty, sweating, red-faced youths, in the most abbreviated 
of clothes and with the most enthusiastic of yells, greeting each man as he 
pedaled into view. A bicycle path to Los Angeles was constructed, bicycle 
clubs and a club house flourished, and the Southern Pacific spent thousands of 
dollars on a bicycle race track and grand stand which was probably the poorest 
investment that the S. P. railway ever made, for almost before it was completed 
the bic}cle craze died out as suddenly and as completely as the various spells of 
roller skating, which sweep over the country and vanish into space. The "Ath- 
letic Park," as it was christened, was used for several years for ball games and 
sports of various kinds, but it has now become a thing of the past. 

Swimming contests, water polo, bowling, ping-pong and various other 
amusements have had their day and passed on. In 1905-06 roller skating was 
the thing, and large rinks were put in service at all the beaches, but already 
they are desolate, or turned into dancing floors. 

Perhaps the amusement which never loses interest is dancing. The various 
pavilions at the beaches have always been popular and are so still, and yet the 
crowds of today dance in a desultory, incidental sort of way that was unknown 
in the old days when the weekly dance was looked forward to as an event from 
which every possible drop of joy was to be drawn. 

TRANSPORTATlOi^. 

In January, 1875, the Los Angeles and Independence road was incorporated 
by F. P. F. Temple, the first banker of Los Angeles ; John P. Jones. Robert S. 
Baker, Thomas W. Park, James A. Pritchard, and J. S. Slauson, with a paid- 
up capital stock of $502,500. Work was at once begun on the road between 
Los Angeles and Santa Monica under the supervision of Col. J. U. Crawford, 
who was superintendent, engineer and general manager. The road, i6'/2 miles 
in length was completetd so that the first train ran over it by December ist. 
1875. Two trains a day were put on between Santa Monica and Los Angeles 
and the fare was fixed at $1.00 per trip, freight at $1.00 per ton. At the same 
time work on the wdiarf was pushed and the steamer, the Orizaba, of the 
Goodall & Perkins line, made her first regular stop at this port on Septetmber 
5th, after which steamer service was continued until September 9th. 1878. wlien 
steamer service to Santa ^Monica was discontinued. 

It was expected that the Los Angeles and Independence road w-ould be 
continued from Los Angeles to Independence. Inyo county, and thence into 
Nevada and possibly Utah ; Init the failure of the Panamint district to yield as 
rich ore as was anticipated and to become a bonanza mining district, led to the 
abandonment of the original plans, and ultimately to the sale of the " Inde- 
pendence " road to the Southern Pacific. This sale was consummated and the 
formal transfer was made on June 4th, 1877. when the railwa\', whru-f. two 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 309 

depots, rolling stock and other property was turned over to the S. P. company. 
The Southern Pacific abandoned the Santa Monica wharf in the fall of 1878 
and finally destroyed the greater part of it. A stump of this same wharf, 
however, is still to be seen near the foot of Colorado street. 

The Southern Pacific was the only means of transportation to the outer 
world from this time until January, 1889, when the first passenger train of the 
Los Angeles and Pacific railway came into Santa Monica. This road had 
originally been proposed by local capitalists as the Los Angeles County road, to 
run through the foothills and the Soldiers' Home grounds and to terminate on 
the bluff opposite the Arcadia Hotel. Later it became the Los Angeles and 
Pacific road, with E. E. Hall, president ; R. E. Shaw, superintendent, and W. 
T. Spilman, contractor. S. AV. Luitweiler, Cornelius Cole, M. L. Wicks, J. 
M. Hale and Arthur Gaylord were among the directors. The road started near 
the Sisters' Hospital in Los Angeles, and passed through Burbank, the Ostrich 
Farm at Kenilworth, Prospect Park, Colegrove, Plollywood, Cahuenga, Morocco, 
Sunset and the Soldiers' Home, the entire line about twenty-seven miles in 
length. The locomotives for this road were built by the Baker Iron Works of 
Los Angeles, and were the first locomotives ever turned out in that city. The 
regular service on this road began January 29th, 1889, and on September 1st, 
of the same year, the unfortunate enterprise went into the hands of a receiver, 
the contractor who had built the line. The train service was reduced to one 
train each way per day, which ran intermittently. " Jack " Henry of Santa 
Monica was the conductor, and it is said that his cry was, " Show your passes," 
when he got ready to take the tickets. After a few months, service on the road 
was abandoned altogether and though there was much talk of repairing and 
the franchise was sold to the Terminal people, nothing was ever done to revive 
it, and the city of Santa Monica finally revoked the franchise granted it. 

The first franchise for a street car line in Santa Alonica was granted 
February 23rd, 1887, to W. D. Vawter. On June 19th, 1887, the first car ran 
over the Ocean avenue line and the same fall the line was completed on LTtah 
avenue and Third streets up Arizona to Seventh, and on Seventh to Nevada. 
In July, 1889, the line had been extended from the south limits of the town 
up Nevada to Seventeenth street, making a road four and one-half miles in 
length. The motive power in those days was mules, or horses, and the little 
"bob tail" cars of the past are now only memories. The Santa r\lonica and 
Soldiers' Home street railway was opened November, 1890. A survey for an 
electric road between Los Angeles and Santa Monica was made in 1893, but it 
was not until April, 1895, that articles of incorporation for the Los Angeles 
and Santa INIonica electric road were filed. In June, 1895, an ordinance was 
passed permitting the building of an electric road by the Pasadena and Pacific 
railway company, of which General Sherman was president. On April ist, 



310 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

i8y6, the first electric car reached Santa Monica over the Santa Monica branch 
of the Pasadena and Pacific road. This was a memorable day in the history 
of the town. In May, 1897, the electric service was extended to Sonlh Santa 
Monica bv the electricizing of the horse car line on the south loop, and the Third 
street line was also electricised. The first route to Santa Monica was by way 
of Bellevue, now Sunset, avenue and Sherman; July ist, 1897, the "short line" 
by way of Sixteenth street, was completed and this line was soon made a 
double track. In 1898 the Los Angeles-Pacific Railway company was organ- 
ized, with a capital stock of $1,000,000 to take over all lines between Los Angeles, 
Santa Monica, Hollywood, Soldiers' Home, etc. In 1899, the north loop in 
Santa Monica was electricised and the Hollywood line built, being opened to the 
public in February 21st, 1900; also the entire system between Los Angeles and 
Santa Monica was doubletrackcd and many improvements in roadbed, bridges, 
etc., were made. The " cut-ofif " by way of Palms, was completed in August, 
1902, and gave the most direct route to the city. 

In Januarv, 1904, the Los Angeles-Pacific acquired all the railway interests 
of the Traction line and at once began making many improvements, especially 
improving the Trolleyway, and building the station in Linda Vista Park, Santa 
Monica, which was opened August 9th, 1905. On the same date the Westgate 
branch of the road was completed. 

In 1887, the Ballona and Santa IMonica Railway company was organized 
to build a line from Ballona to Santa Monica ; the Santa Fe having completed 
a line to "Port Ballona" September T5th, 1887. But the Ballona line was 
not built and in 1892 the Santa Fe and Santa Monica company was formed to 
build a line from Ballona Junction to Santa Monica, a distance of twelve miles. 
The Santa Fe railway brought its first passenger train into Santa ^Monica June 
i8th, 1892, and the new service was hailed as bringing assured prosperity to 
the town. The company built a depot on Hill street and another on Front 
street; put up a pavilion and the "iron pipe" wharf in South Santa ]\Ionica 
and expended a large sum in its various improvements. After the coming of 
the trolley lines, however, it |)ractically ceased to operate and in 1900 sold the 
land which had been donated to it, and in 190 1 obtained permission to abandon 
its right of way from Inglewood to its Santa Monica terminus. Eventually it 
sold this right of way to the Traction company and it was later purchased by 
the Huntington lines. 

In 1905 it became known that ^\v. Rindge was building a road that was 
at first supposed to be merely a driveway through his Malibu territory. Later 
developments made it appear that this was rather a roadbed, whether for an 
electric line or a steam railwa\' line was unrevealed. During 1907 a railroad 
has been constructed upon this roadbed. The purpose for which this road is 
intended to serve still remains unrevealed, although the belief is wi(les])read 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 311 

that it is the entering wedge of a transcontinental line — what line still remains 
a mystery. It is popularly supposed to be a link in the Gould system which is 
reaching toward the Pacific coast ; but as yet the plans of the railway magnates 
have not been divulged. But to whatever system it may belong, the completion 
of a line down the coast to Santa Monica would mean much for this citv and 
section of country. 

State Forestry Station. 

The location of an experimental station in Santa Monica Can von bv the 
State Board of Forestry was determined upon in July. 1887. Mr. Abbot 
Kinney, who was chairman of the first State Board of Forestry, ofifered for this 
purpose a tract of land on Santa Monica Heights. This was accepted and an 
appropriation of $5,000 was made to begin the work. Mr. H. Rowland Lee, of 
the State University, was selected to take charge as head forester of the Santa 
Monica station in connection with the Hesperian station in San Bernardino 
county and the San Jacinto station in Riverside county. Up to 1890 $3,000 was 
expended in buildings and a large number of trees and plants were set out. 
The work of this station was largely devoted to the study of the comparative 
value of trees for the interior and along the coast ; the economic use of trees, 
costs and profits ; possible ranges of soil and climaite ; fitness for any purposes 
and contlitions. An especial study of eucalypti was made. Small collections 
of trees and plants were distributed to a large number of persons who had filed 
on timber claims, or who wished to carry on experiments under the direction 
of the forestry station. 

In 1889 Messrs. Jones and Baker donated twenty acres of land along the 
eastern edge of Rustic canyon to the station. This tract is thus described by 
Inspector of Stations : 

" The greatest and deepest barranca in the Santa Monica plain is that known 
as Santa Monica canyon.- It is not really a canyon in the strict interpretation 
of the Spanish word, which refers to mountain ravines, but more nearlv con- 
forms to the Spanish idea of a barranca — a wide cleft across the plains from the 
mountains to the sea. In realty there are two large barrancas, running in a 
direction somewhat parallel for several miles, although they are sometimes 
wide apart. The narrow tongue of land between them extends to within an 
eighth of a mile of the ocean. Here, on the sides and summit of this narrow 
central plateau, between two deep gorges and extending down to the bottom of 
one of them, the Santa Monica Forestry station is situated. It is greatly shel- 
tered from storms and yet the view is wonderfully extensive. The twentv acres 
belonging to the station, a little arboretum tract, extends from the bottom of the 
northern canyon, called Rustic canyon, up slopes and across levels to the very 
top of the mesa, on the same plane as the town of Santa Monica, and looks 



312 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

clown from thence to the bottom of tlie south canyon. There are thus three 
distinct levels and two half-levels, with their connecting slopes for the most 
part not too abrupt for planting. Such is the charming topography of the 
station lands. 

" Work on the station includes lirst of all, the care and cultivation of the 
existing plantations. Then observations of these have to be made from time 
to time and records kept of the rate of growth of each tree, of its time of blos- 
soming and maturing of seed, behavior under different conditions, etc." 

In 1889, J. M. Sheckles was in charge of the forestry station. In 1893, 
the State Board of Forestry ceased to exist and the work was placed under the 
direction of the Agricultural Department of the State University. Later, in 
1897, the work was enlarged by connection with the Forestry Department of 
the United States Department of Agriculture, experimental stations in thirty or 
more states of the Union working in co-operation. This plan has been of great 
benefit to the Santa IMonica station individually and to the general results of 
Forestry and Agricultural experimental work. The Department of Forestry 
has now become one of the most important branches of the governmental service. 
Out of a very small beginning has grown the great system of forest reserves 
and of re-forestration, together with the collection of invaluable data and 
practical aid to many industries. 

In 1897, Mr. J. H. Barber, later foreman of the South Coast Range, was 
appointed to take charge of the Santa Monica station. This year the appropria- 
tion for 1897-8 was made $8,000 and much needed buildings and improvements 
were made. In 1899, Mr. C. A. Colmore was in charge. He was succeeded by 
William Shutt who remained in charge for four years. During his incumbency 
considerable additional water was developed and the station made a steady 
advance, although hampered by a lack of funds. In October, 1904, disastrous 
mountain fires swept through Santa Monica canyon and all the buildings of the 
Forestry station were destroyed. Only the windmill and tower were left stand- 
ing. Considerable damage was done to the growth, also, a large number of 
seedling stock being killed and shrubbery and trees more or less injured. 

For some time it was a question whether the buildings would be replaced, 
but in the latter part of 1905 an appropriation became available and the neces- 
sary buildings were put up. Mr. J. P. Barber was appointed to take charge 
of the station. Since that time, the damage done by the fire has been largely 
overcome and the station continues to do valuable work in connection with the 
state and United States Agricultural Experimental schools. 

Reminiscences. 

An early comer, who is still a resident of Santa Monica, furnishes some 
very entertaining glimpses of the early days of the town and its life. Those 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 313 

who drove from Los Angeles to the Santa Monica ranch to attend the first 
sale of lots in July, 1875, were greeted with a magnificent view, as they crossed 
the " divide." Before them lay the ocean, forming a blue crescent between the 
jutting points of Point Dume and Point Vincent. From Point Dume swept 
the Santa Monica range, merging into the San Gabriel range and the San Ber- 
nardino mountains. Following the circle, hills and mountains led the eye around 
to Point A'incent on the south, forming a vast amphitheater. As we drove over 
the ranch we saw a lone live oak, standing on the bluff above the canon, about 
half way between ocean front and Seventh street. Here the one road leading 
to the canon went down the grade. Near it was an old adobe, which was one 
of the landmarks of the time. A clump of trees stood near the springs which 
later supplied the town with water, and a group of great sycamores rose near 
the present site of Sawtelle. One of these, an immense tree, shading a large 
expanse, is supposed to have sheltered Father Serra on one of his journeys 
through the country. A line of sycamores marked the barranca which led out 
tow'ard the Soldiers' Home way. Here and there were to be seen a few small 
ranch houses, surrounded by fig and other fruit trees. Manv bands of sheep 
were passed, and an occasional ruin of some old adobe building. 

One landmark that can never be forgotten was the " Half-wav House ", a 
store and saloon, located about half way between the end of Washington street, 
Los Angeles, and Santa Monica. Here a watering trough was provided, and 
every traveler over the long, dusty road, stopped to water man and beast. 

In the early days the canons, Santa Monica, Rustic and Alanville, were 
the delight of the townspeople and the hotel guests. Every day saw driving 
and riding parties, camping and picnic parties visiting some one or other of 
these beautiful retreats. Arch Rock, four miles up the coast, was always an 
ol^ject of interest. Camping out just beyond the salt works (near the present 
site of Redondo) and at Portuguese Bend, was also a favorite diversion. Gun- 
ning in the mountains, duck shooting on Ballona laguna and boating on the 
laguna were popular pastimes. The boats on the laguna were known as the 
■' Pollywog " and the "Mud Hen." Spanish, games took place in the spring, 
when a channel was cut from the laguna to allow the overflow water to escape 
into the ocean, at the point now known as Playa del Rey. Ring tournaments 
and other Spanish games were also played for some months on Ocean avenue ; 
but were discontinued on the protest of a number of families who feared the 
influence on the best life of the then growing town. 

During the days of the first wharf, one of the great events of town life 
was the coming and going of the coast steamers. \\'hen a Panama steamship 
came in and tied up at the wharf, everybody in town visited it. for the strange 
fruits, birds and plants which it brought were always interesting. The fishing 
on the wharf was always good and furnished a constant sport for men, women 
and children. 

The first residents of Santa ^lonica were a cosmopolitan lot. Some were 



314 HIST(>RY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

the drifting class always attracted by any new opening or excitement, and soon- 
passed on. Others were drawn here by the incomparable climate, which was 
ideal for a home, especially in old age. Many then believed in a great business 
future for the new port. There were a number of young men, fresh from college, 
who had drifted to California for a start. Most of these were down on their 
luck and glad to take anything that ofitered, as for instance, the young Harvard 
graduate, who whitewashed the plaza 'fence — because his brains were not needed 
here. A Bostonian, also a college man, ran the engine on the first railroad be- 
tween Santa Monica and Los Angeles, while the first conductor on this road 
was a young Virginian. One of the first clergymen of the place was a north 
of Ireland man, educated in Dublin and Edinburg, who preached sermons which 
would have honored any pulpit. One of the first physicians had also been edu- 
cated in London and Edinburg and had traveled around the world. On his 
journey he happened to stop in Santa Monica and was so delighted with the 
location and climate that he stayed here for about a year. Another physician 
located here about the same time ; but he, too, moved on. The place was too 
healthy to be a promising field for a young doctor and for several years there 
was no resident practicing physician at all — and little need for one. 

The lives of the residents of the neighboring canons were closely linked 
with the town, for here they came for their mail and supplies and they fur- 
nished the butter, eggs and vegetables for the town dwellers. There w'ere many 
bee ranches hidden awav among the canons. The living of the apiarists de- 
pended, of course, upon the honey yield, which often failed because of dry or 
unfavorable seasons. Sometimes careless picnickers or hunters would be the 
cause of a mountain fire which, sweeping over hills and through cafions, mowed 
down the brush and growing plants, and sometimes destroyed bees and homes. 
During a terrible fire raging in Manville caiion, one old man only escaped from 
the flames by lowering himself into a well until the flames, traveling by leaps 
and jumps, had passed on. Another man, further up the canon, was compelled 
to lie down in a small stream, wdiere he found himself in companv with snakes 
and other small creatures which had taken refuge in the water. Many of these 
early settlers had located on what they supposed was government land, only to 
find, after years perhaps of hard work in improving their homes, that they could 
not secure title. They w-ere compelled to leave with only the memory of their 
labor to carry with them. Many odd characters were among these pioneers 
and many of them were brave hearted, true men, who were rich in everything 
but worldly goods. 

The social life of the new town was, for the most part, simple and de- 
lightfully free from formal constraint. The few more congenial families were 
drawm into close relations. Almost every evening found them gathered for a 
time in some one home or another, for those were the clays of truly hospitable 
home life. The first real party, of any pretensions, was given by Mrs. M. S. 
Baker in her new home — the first two-storv rustic house in Santa Monica. It 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 315 

is safe to say that the company there gathered were as cultured as would grace 
any city party. During the early days of the town a literary and social club, 
called the " Baker's Dozen "', was formed among the young unmarried people. 
After a year it was enlarged to take in the married people as well and was 
known simply as " The Club." Among the members were doctors, lawyers, 
scientists, clergymen and teachers, as well as others who had no titles. After 
a program, usually of original papers furnished b}- the members, social diver- 
sions followed and were as much enjoyed by the men of letters as the rest. This 
club lasted about five years. 

There were occasional concerts or lectures which were of the highest merit. 
It must be remembered that many cultured people visited us at various times, 
in search of health or rest, and often our struggling little churches were given 
benefits which any city audience might have gladly heard. It frequently hap- 
pened that some city clergyman visiting this coast because of ill health of himself 
or some member of his family, filled our pulpits and gave us of their best. A 
touching incident occurred about 1876. A teamster lost his only son, a boy of 
fourteen, and wished to give him a fitting funeral at the church. There was 
no resident pastor in the place at that time, so one of the members of the Pres- 
byterian church agreed to read a burial service. The fact was mentioned at 
the Santa Monica Hotel and came to the ears of a New York City minister 
who was touring the west with his wife. He at once oiTered to conduct the 
service and did so to the consolation of the father. Then he ofifered to preach 
on the Sabbath, if it would be of any assistance, and for several weeks we 
listened to able sermons, for which the gentleman would accept no pay. 

One person who was closely associated with the early history of the town 
was L. T. Fisher, editor of the Santa Monica Outlook. He wrought early and 
well for the good of the town and gave it a bright, clean paper. But the glow- 
ing future he so well painted, did not make him any richer tlian he was when 
he came, so he moved on. 

After the destruction of the wharf, there was very little business here, 
barely enough to supply very modest demands of living. Everything seemed to 
come to a standstill and everyone who could get away did so, except the few 
who were satisfied to live on climate. Yet life for those who remained was not 
altogether stale. With so many diversions provided by nature, a daily dip in 
the ocean, an afternoon drive on beach, plain or in mountain canons, and with 
liappy home evenings, the days passed away swiftly and we were content. 




•/^/\CK\Ht<' 



iV\0^ 



^- ^. Fostev*- 



Trustees of the City of Ocean Park. 



CHAPTER X. 

Thk City of Ocean Park. 

THE history of the town of ( )cean Park, with \'cnice of America, both now- 
less than three years old, is a modem business romance — a romance of 
fair dreams and marvelous fulfillments; of great ambitions and of sad- 
dening failures; of wonderful growth in wealth and population and of bitter 
contests of strong men with strong men. Many of the events in this brief historv 
partake of the comedy nature; there are elements of tragedy in the story, too — of 
fortunes made and lost, of high hopes disappointed. There are signs of promise 
also, a city built upon sand — and yet planted upon a solid foundation of pros- 
perity and steady growth. 

It scarcely seems credible, even to those who have seen the transformation 
going on before their eyes, that the ground now occupied by beautiful homes 
and handsome business blocks was, less than six vears ago, a barren waste, 
looked upon as practically useless for building or for any other purpose. The 
energy, the large conceptions and the large investments which have brought 
about the change have rarely been equalled — even in this land of commercial 
wonders. A rise in values within five years from a few dollars an acre to 
$15,000 for a twenty-foot lot is not often recorded even in California. 

Much of the earlier history of this section has already been given. A part 
of the present city of Ocean Park was included in the original Kinney and Ryan 
holdings. All of the land was originally a part of La Ballona grant and had 
been owned by the Afachados, or their successors. The " Short Line Beach " 
tract had been opened up for settlement in 1902. In 1903 the Ocean Park Villa 
tracts were put on the market and an addition made to the Short Line Beach, 
giving it an ocean frontage of 4150 feet. Th.e rapid settlement of this new 
territory soon created a district which must be provided with government, either 
by incorporation or annexation to Santa Monica. Earlv in the spring the talk 
of incorporating a new town began to take form and definite plans were made. 
Steps were taken during the. summer to arrange for a jirimarv school in the dis- 
trict, a lot being donated for the jmrpose. The rapidity with which the Short 
Line Beach lots were sold and occu])ied by dwellings ; the opening up of Marine 
street by ]Messrs. \'awter and Steele ; the occupation of the hills east of the elec- 
tric line, added to the desirability of the new corporation. It was generally 
agreed that the lines of the new town should extend from the Santa Monica citv 



318 HISTORY OF SAXTA AiOXlCA BAY CITIES 

limits south to the south Hue of the Short Line I leach and along Lake street as 
the east boiuulary. At a |)ublic meeting held October 8th, the question of incor- 
poration, or of joining Santa Monica, was thoroughly discussed. At this meet- 
ing the old firm of land owners ofifered to lend the new municipality money to 
conduct its business until its own funds became available. It was estimated that 
the cost of carrying on the new city for one year would be $4,100, that the 
assessment value of the district was $80,800 which, at a tax rate of 75 cents 
would yield an income of $6,100, giving a surplus at the end of the year of 
$2,000. It was also stated that insurance rates would be reduced one-third. 

A vote of the sense of the meeting stood 52 for incorporation and i against. 
The objector, Mr. J. AL Roberts, then changed his vote and it was made unan- 
imous. A committee of five, Messrs. Henry Lavayea, W. T. Gibton, A. Ed. 
Robinson, Dana Burks and A. R. Eraser, were appointed a committee to circu- 
late petitions for signatures. The active spirits in this movement proposed to 
show to the world a model city. Dana Burks in an interview with the Los 
Angeles Times, September 9th, 1903, said: "We propose to make Ocean Park 
the best lighted city in the United States. When the lighting system is installed, 
steamers passing miles out at sea will have ocular proof of the exact location of 
Ocean Park. Pure food regulations w'ill be enforced strictly. Every milkman 
will have to " show us " and obtain permit before he can deliver milk in Ocean 
Park. A chemist will be regularly employed and regularly paid to make con- 
tinued inspection of food products ofifered for sale in the city. City officials will 
serve without pay, and character, ability and proved public-spiritedness will be 
the three requisites for election. Politics will be l)arred absolutely from the 
municipal conduct ; and with the elimination of spoils, purity of government will 
be easier to launch and to maintain. Attempted dishonesty will mean dismissal 
and dismissal will entail social ostracism." 

Mr. Plez James was ap]:)ointed registration clerk and a systematic census 
of the proposed incorporated district w^as taken. It was found that there were 
300 houses and 750 inhabitants. Sixty-seven voters were registered. The peti- 
tions received the requisite numlier of signatures and on November 9th were 
presented to the board of supervisors. In the meantime a petition had been 
presented to the board of trustees of Santa Monica from property owners resid- 
ing between Marine and Rose avenues asking for annexation to the citv, and 
also a petition favoring such annexaticMi from citizens of Santa Monica. The 
city limits of Santa Monica, following the old lines of the Lucas tract, cut north- 
easterly through the block between Marine and Navy streets, thus leaving a por- 
tion of each lot in the city and a ])ortion in the comity. In accordance with 
these petitions, the city of Santa Monica called an election to vote on the ([ues- 
tion of annexation (m December 14th. The battle over the disputed territory 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 319 

was a warm one. When the matter came up before the board of supervisors, 
petitions for annexation and for incorporation were presented and action was 
delayed until November 23rd. On November 12th a protest, signed by 27 resi- 
<lents of the dis]uited territory was jiresented to the board of trustees, requesting 
that the election for annexation be not held. The city attorney decided, how- 
ever, that neither petition nor protest legally affected the matter so long as 20 
per cent of the voters of the city called for the election, which was therefore 
held, and resulted in a vote of 19 against annexation in the district in question 
and II for, thus settling the question. Other petitions and protests against 
being included in the proposed incorporation, made by the residents of the Short 
Ivine tract and by the L. A. -P. railway, were placed before the board of super- 
visors and another adjournment was necessary in order to give all parties a 
hearing. C)n December 28th the decision was finally reached and the petition 
for incorporation granted, the election being set for February 12th, 1904. 

A change which meant much to the proposed new city took place in Janu- 
ary, 1904. This was the dissolution of the Ocean Park Improvement Company 
"by the division of their property. The company had been composed of Messrs. 
Kinney, Fraser, Gage and Jones; Mr. Kinney owning a half interest, Mr. Fraser 
a two-fifths interest of the other half, with Messrs. Jones and Gage holding the 
"balance. By the terms of division Mr. Kinney received complete control of all 
unplatted lands of the company south of Navy street, including about 100 lots 
between Short Line Beach and Zephyr avenue ; also 90 acres of land Iving to 
the east and south of the clubhouse. This action, together with the sale of the 
right of way owned by the Improvement Company through South Santa Monica 
and of Mr. Kinney's railway interests to the L. A. -P. Railway Co., consider- 
ably changed the aspect of aft'airs for the future city. It put an end to the hope 
for a competing line ; but as a partial compensation the electric company began 
building the plank walk and stations, and otherwise improving Trolleyway, 
thus giving the district a new street. 

As was expected but a single ticket was put in the field for the election. 
This named for trustees, A. Ed. Robinson, Dana Burks, Force Parker, G. M. 
Jones, W. T. Gibbon ; treasurer, H. Blagge ; clerk, T. G. Smith : marshal, \\\ H. 
Slack. Dana Burks was slated for mayor ; 56 votes v»'ere cast, 52 for incorpora- 
tion and 2 against, 2 voting for officers but not for incorporation. 

Thus, at last came into existence the city of Ocean Park, which did not 
include the territory that had been known as " Ocean Park " since 1894, but was 
made up of lands settled within the past eighteen months. It was certainlv a 
misfortune that the name which distinctly belonged to the old section in South 
Santa Monica should have been applied to the new city. The new town, how- 
ever, continued to grow rapidl}-. The undoubted healthfulness of the sands as 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 321 

a place of residence ; the easy and rapid transit to Los Angeles brought nianv 
business men and women to the place ; the rapid advance in prices brought manv 
investors, both small and large ; above all the development of Venice, which 
became a reality during the year, brought many newcomers. But there were 
factors which, naturally enough, brought about dissension and misunderstand- 
ing. The fact that so large a portion of the territory was owned by a single 
man ; that Venice soon became a city within a city ; that the business interests of 
the new town were either centered on Pier avenue in Santa Monica, or on 
Windward avenue in Venice; that the postoffice, " Ocean Park" was located in 
South Santa Monica, while the postoffice of the town of Ocean Park was event- 
ually located in Venice and given the name of Venice — all of these, and other 
complications, led to confusion and conflicting interests. 

At a meeting held on February 23rd, in the Country Club House, the use 
of which was donated by Mr. Kinney, the new board organized with Dana Burks 
as chairman and elected W. H. Anderson city attorney and W. T. Robinson, 
recorder. At this meeting, the Ocean Park Improvement Company presented 
the new city with the ocean frontage from Navy street to Horizon avenue, a 
distance of 4,600 feet, a gift estimated to be w^orth $220,000. Messrs. Jones. 
Fraser and Gage also presented the new corporation with their interest in the 
fire system already established within the district. The new city was furnished 
quarters for its officers and public business free of rent, and was financed with- 
out interest, by Mr. Kinney. On April nth, the city election was held and the 
same officers were re-elected, with the exception of the marshal, H. E. Lavayea 
taking the place of W. H. Slack. 

One of the first topics which engaged the attention of the town trustees was 
the matter of sewage disposal. The part of the town already sewered was con- 
nected with the Santa Monica outfall, by the old contract with Kinney and Ryan. 
But it was understood that the city of Santa Monica would demand some other 
arrangement, and in fact, notice was received by the Ocean Park trustees that 
their sewer connection would be cut ofif August ist. Manv plans were discussed 
and investigated. A sewer farm was proposed, but after study of conditions 
was found impracticable ; then it was suggested that the sewage of the entire 
beach might be carried south to a connection with the Los Angeles outfall : 
eventually the septic plant was decided upon and, January 30th, 1905, a special 
election was called to vote $20,000 bonds for a sewer system and $5,000 for fire 
apparatus. April 4th, another special election was held to vote $15,000 addi- 
tional for sewer system. Still another election was called October 17th, igo6, 
to vote $20,000 for the completion of the sewer system. At the same time bonds 
were voted — $10,000 for engine house and fire-fighting apparatus; $5,000 for 
city hall and jail and $5,000 for sites for these buildings, and $10,000 for a gar- 
bage incinerator, all of which were carried. 
21 



322 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

The necessary mains and the septic tank, with an outfall at Center street 
was constructed, and later the outfall was carried out on piling into the ocean. 
The destruction of the Santa Monica outfall by the storms of April and May, 
1905, resulted in a change in the situation. The Ocean Park sewage was turned 
into its own system and the trustees invited Santa Moncia to use their new sep- 
tic tank, rather than have the sewage discharged into the ocean at Pier avenue, 
to the detriment of that locality. Santa Monica, in spite of complaints and court 
orders, continues to use the Ocean Park mains, pending the completion of her 
own septic tank. The situation thus created, because of the large amount of 
sewage handled and the defective action of the septic tank has been productive 
of much trouble and ill feeling. 

The question of liquor licenses also has been a critical one in the brief annals 
of Ocean Park. On June 21st, 1904, a high license ordinance was passed and 
for some time the only license granted was for a wholesale house. Later 
licenses were granted for various restaurants and bars. The opening of the 
various concessions at Venice and especially on " the Midway " in 1906, gave 
rise to much discussion and uncertainty as to the business licenses and this too 
has proved a difificult subject for the city to handle. 

In August, 1904, the city of Ocean Park voted $10,000 for school purposes. 
A school district had already been formed, and the county superintendent 
appointed as a temporary board, Mrs. M. de Luna, Mrs. Frank A. Werner and 
A. R. French. The school census of the spring showed 207 children. The first 
school was opened in the fall in two tent-houses on the Country Club grounds. 
Considerable difificulty was found by the first regular school board in securing 
a suitable location for the school-house. Values were now so high in Ocean 
Park that any desirable site was beyond the means of the board. Land was 
finally obtained from Mr. Kinney and in September, a contract was let for a 
two-story, seven-room building. It was sufficiently completed to be dedicated 
with elaborate ceremonies in January, 1903 ; but another bond issue of $10,000 
was necessarv to complete the building. It is a handsome, modern structure 
completely equipped for grade work. In the spring of 1907 a tract of five acres 
of land, adjoining the school grounds, was donated for the use of the school 
and the children were encouraged to engage in gardening. A skilled gardener 
was engaged by Mr. Kinney to instruct them and the school gardens thus estab- 
lished promise to become an important part of the school curriculum. Prizes 
are given the children for the best results and much interest has been aroused 
in the subject of gardening among the children and their parents as well. 

One of the most important improvements of 1904 was the building of the 
Ocean Park Bath House. A stock company was formed by T. H. Dudley, G. 
M. Jones, J. F. Mullen, A. Ed. Robinson and Force Parker, with a stock of 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 323 

$150,000. A site between Marine and Navy was first selected, but later the loca 
t,on was moved south to the block between Nav^■ and Ozone, thus brinoi„c. the 
building entirely within Ocean Park. The structure was of concrete and^was 
when completed in 1905, the finest bath house on the Pacific coast. 

In May, Messrs. Fraser and Jones purchased from the Recreation Gun 
Club a tract of land with 4.200 feet of ocean frontage and extending back i 200 
teet from the shore. Through it ran an extension of the Plava del'Rey lao-oon 
The price paid for the property was $135,000. This tide land, when purchased 
by the Gun Club, was considered utterly worthless and had con- 




OCEAN PARK CITY HALL. 

tinned to be considered a bad investment until the time of the sale 
In June. 1905. the Guaranty Realty Companv purchased this tract. pavin<. for 
It somewhere m the neighborhood of $300,000, it was reported. The tract wa. 
platted and in a single day, Monday, June 19th, $308,000 worth of propert^• 
Nvas sold, making a record-breaking pace in this summer of wonder develop'- 
nients. As an example of the phenomenal rise in values caused bv the creation 
ot Venice, the Venice Gateway tract may be cited. In 1893 Tohn' Metcalf pur- 
chased 55 acres of marsh, lying to the east of the tract on which A^nice was 
located, for $3,000. During the summer of 1905 this land was platted and put 
on the market as the Venice Gateway tract. In a few weeks 175 lots were sold 
tc^r $200,000, while the value of the entire tract was estimated at half a million. 



324 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

Among the improvements of the year, aside from the city of Venice, were 
the Horseshoe pier at Marine and Pier avenues, the new seaside theatre and the 
Masonic Temple on Marine avenue. In July it was estimated that the assessed 
valuation of propcrt\- in the new town would reach one million. The Times 
says: "There are altogether, at this writing, 1,200 homes in Ocean Park and 
many others are being built. The original buildings are being constantly 
replaced by fine modern houses of the most approved type, and many of them 
are occupied the year round by business men of Los Angeles, as Ocean Park is 
one of the nearest beaches to the city, lying less than fifteen miles from town 
and reached in forty minutes by electric car." 

r.v the annexation of various subdivisions during the year of 1905 Ocean 
Park nearly doubled its area and its assessment roll, in January, 1906, was fig- 
ured at $4,000,000. Up to this time $85,000 in bonds had been voted for school 
and sewers. A bond issue voted October 17th included funds for city hall, jail 
and fire house also. The Speedw^ay had been paved with asphaltum for more 
than a mile, at a cost of about $30,000, and many other street improvements had 
been made. The lagoon had been completed from Venice to Playa del Rey. 
thus giving a waterway between the two resorts. 

The year of 1906 was not marked by such precipitate and unprecedented 
advances ; but it showed a solid growth and a strengthening of the lines all along 
the beach. ( )ne of the first matters given attention was the protection of the 
shore along the Short Line Beach. An election was called to vote bonds for 
bulkheads, but the bonds did not carry and eventually Mr. Kinney advanced 
nionev to build a temporary protection for the property menaced. About $io,ood 
was expended in building a bulkhead south of Venice, and then to protect this 
a system of jetties was put in. A sand pump was also used to fill in back of 
the bulkhead and still further protect the beach. About 3,000 feet of bulkhead 
was built altogether. 

In January the Ocean Park postofiice was removed to the new Masonic 
building on Marine avenue, after a strong protest had been made by citizens 
of South Santa Monica. It was still in the municipality of Santa Monica, how- 
ever, and the necessity of some other arrangement for Ocean Park led to the 
establishment of a postoffice on Windward avenue, with the name of Venice. 
Robert M. Granger was the first postmaster. During the year the agitation for 
free delivery was continued. The postoflice inspector at one time recommended 
that the Ocean Park office be made the main office with sub-stations at Venice 
and Santa Monica, and free delivery for the entire bay district. This plan met 
with strong op])osition both in Santa Monica and A^^nice and was not carried 
out. In December it was announced that C. K. l.ovelace, editor of the Ocean 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 325 

Park Journal, had been appointed as postmaster for Ocean Park in place of 
Meigs, the incumbent. 

The sewage question continued to disturb the peace of mind of both Santa 
Monica and Ocean Park citizens, while the failure of the septic tank to deodor- 
ize the sewage disturbed the nostrils — and the minds — of many Ocean Park 
citizens. Suits were begun by the Ocean Park trustees against the Santa Mon- 
ica trustees to compel them to disconnect their mains ; suit was begun by citizens 
of Ocean Park against their own trustees for permitting such a nuisance. The 
result was, of course, bad feeling and hard words. 

The location of the city hall and public buildings was another topic wdiich 
led to discord. After the bonds had been voted for this purpose, Abbot Kinney 
offered a site on Windward avenue. Another site, containing several lots, w^as 
ofifered free of cost on the Venice Gateway tract, at a considerable distance from 
the business section of the town. The latter site w^as finally accepted and the 
trustees put the entire bond issue into the construction of a public building here, 
although many citizens objected strenuously on account of the inconvenience 
of the location. Other differences of opinion arose between the city trustees 
and the A'enice interests owned by the Abbot Kinney Company and finally the 
breach was so widened that it was proposed to disincorporate the town of C^cean 
Park and make a fresh start. After a hotly waged contest, in which every 
resource of each side was taxed to its utmost, a disincorporation election was 
finally called for September 30th, 1907. At that election the vote stood 202 for 
disincorporation to 176 against, lacking 60 votes of the requisite two-thirds 
majority. As a result of this election and the fight preceding it, many damage 
suits for libel were filed and promises of future disincorporation were freely 
made. It was suggested that A^enice might ultimately become an annex of Los 
Angeles. There was talk, too. 01 a greater Santa Monica which should be made 
up of Santa Monica, Ocean Park and Venice united as a happy family in on(> 
corporation. But such an iridescent dream was received with smiles by most 
residents of the beach. 








ABBOT KINNEY. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Venice of America and Its Founder. 

ABBOT KINNEY was born in Brookside, N. J., November i6, 1850. 
his parents being- Franklin Sherwood and Mary Cogswell Kinney, both 
descendants of old colonial families. His boyhood was mostly passed 
in Washington where his uncle, James Dixon, represented the state of Con- 
necticut in the United States Senate. Here the young man had advantages of 
education and of contact with many of the prominent men of that time and thus 
retains memories of the men who made the history of that period. To complete 
his education, he went to Europe and studied at Heidelberg, Germany, and in 
France and Switzerland, perfecting himself in foreign languages and making a 
special study of political, economic and social problems. 

On returning to Washington, he became interested in the tobacco business 
and after a couple of years practical experience, he decided to go to Turkey and 
make a personal study of their methods of manufacturing cigarettes. In 1877, 
he started on a three years' tour of the world, one year of which was passed in 
Egypt. His keen powers of observation and active intellect were devoted dur- 
ing these years to the study of conditions as he found them in various countries, 
and the conclusions thus acquired have since been applied in many ways to the 
problems presented in our own country. 

He reached San Francisco, on his return voyage, in the winter of 1880, and 
finding himself unable to proceed directly east on account of heavy snow block- 
ades in the Sierras, he came to Southern California. Here, after a few weeks 
spent at the old Sierra Madre Villa, he felt that he had fovmd the climate for 
which he had sought the world over. He secured a large tract of unimproved 
land in the vicinity of Sierra Madre and at once set about creating a beautiful 
and profit-yielding home out of what had been a waste. He planted out a large 
citrus orchard and turned his mind to the solution of the many difficulties which 
seemed almost unsurmountable to the pioneer horticulturists of this region. As 
a result, " Kinneloa " became a fine example of the possibilities of citrus culture 
and is known as one of the most beautiful country homes in California. 

Broad-minded and public-spirited, he devoted the knowledge gained 
through investigation and costly experiments to the public use and became one 
of the projectors of the Southern California Pomological Society and served as 
its president. 



32& HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

In 1883, he was appointed a commissioner to serve with Helen Hunt Jack- 
son in an investigation into the conchtion of the Mission Indians of Southern 
CaHfornia. After several months of travel and personal examination of the 
various reservations and their people, Mr. Kinney prepared a report to the gov- 
ernment, advising the breaking up of the reservation system and the use of 
common-sense methods in the treatment of these miserable and helpless rem- 
nants of the first occupants of our country. It was during this period that Mrs. 
Jackson gathered much of the material used in the construction of Ramona and 
in her articles on the Missions and the Mission Indians. 

In 1884, Mr. Kinney was married to Miss Margaret, the daughter of Judge 
James D. Thornton, justice of the Supreme Court of California. 

In 1885 he was appointed chairman of the newly created board of forestry. 
Since that time Mr. Kinney has devoted much research and practical experi- 
menting to the subject of forestry, particularly in its relation to the welfare of 
Southern California. In 1887 a tract of twenty acres, located on Santa Monica 
Heights, was donated to the state as a site for a Forestry Experimental Station 
in this section of the state. The board at once set apart a fund to be devoted 
to this purpose. Mr. Kinney took a keen interest in the experiments and prac- 
tical working of this station and made an especially exhaustive study of Euca- 
lypti, the results of which he later published. He was also instrumental in 
securing the initiation of National Forestry on a practical basis and in procur- 
ing the legislation which set aside the forest reserves in California and in estab- 
lishing the School of Forestry in connection with the University of Southern 
California. This school gave especial attention to the subjects of forestry in 
relation to water-sheds and preservation of forests, with lectures by such men 
as Abbot Kinney, A. H. Koebig, Henry Hawgood, J. V,. Lippincott, T. S. Van 
Dyke and T. P. Lukens. 

Mr. Kinney is an unusual combination — the practical man of afifairs, look- 
ing personally to his large interests — and at the same time the student and 
thinker. He has been an investigator along many lines of thought and has pub- 
lished several books as the result of his studv. In 1893, ^^ issued " The Con- 
quest of Death," dealing with a sociological subject, and '' Tasks by Twilight," 
which sets forth some original theories as to the training of the young. As the 
author is the parent of five sons, he had practical data to deal with. He devoted 
much study to the workings of the Australian ballot system and published a 
pamphlet on this subject and earnestly advocated its adoption in this country. 
He has also published a strong argument on the tariff (|uestion : made a study 
of climatology, particularly with reference to Santa Monica, and written many 
valuable lectures and monogra])hs upon various topics. In all of his writing his 
use of English is direct and forcilile and his course of reasoning clear and logical. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 329 

He has served as president of the Southern California Academy of Science 
and of the Southern CaHfornia Forest and Water Association; and as vice- 
president of the American Forestry Association of CaHfornia. In 1897 he was 
appointed by Governor Budd as one of the Yosemite Park Commission, which 
made sweeping reforms in the conditions which had nearly destroyed the pleas- 
ure of a visit to this wonder of the world. In all of his public work, Mr. Kin- 
ney has shown a broad public spirit and devotion to the general good. 

After a few years residence at " Kinneloa," Mr. Kinney found that the sea- 
side air was better suited to his health than the foothills, and, in the early 
eighties, he purchased a home on Ocean avenue, Santa Monica. Since that time 
he has been closely associated with the development of the Santa Monica bay 
cities. In 1886 he formed a syndicate to purchase a large parcel of land on the 
north side of Santa Monica Canyon. Here, he proposed to make an ideal resi- 
dence tract, with unsurpassed views of ocean, mountains and valley. Trees 
were planted, streets were laid out and a railroad planned. Later this tract was 
transferred to the Southern Pacific Company and furnished the site for the 
" long wharf." 

In 1888, Mr. Kinney was one of the organizers of the Santa Monica Im- 
provement Company which built the Casino on North Third street and laid out 
the grounds and tennis courts about it. This was the forerunner of " Countrv 
Clubs " and was for years the center of tennis interests in Southern California. 
About this time he was appointed road commissioner in the district of Santa 
Monica and devoted much time and energy to the opening up and improvement 
of the roads of the vicinity. The boulevard to the Soldiers' Home was laid out 
under his supervision and during his administration he set out some nine miles 
of trees along the public roads and started them to growing — a Herculean task 
in this country of sheep, squirrels, and other hungry varmints — to say nothing 
of the lack of water. 

Mr. Kinney was a member of the first library board of Santa Monica and 
was also instrumental in establishing the public library at Pasadena and in pro- 
viding a free library at the Soldiers' Home. 

About 1891 Mr. Kinney acquired an interest in a strip of ocean frontage, 
extending froiu the south boundary of the Lucas tract to the southern boundarv 
of Ballona grant. This strip of sand w^as then considered worthless for any 
purpose whatever. But Mr. Kinney has imagination and foresight. In the face 
of many discouragements, he and his partner, F. G. Rvan. began putting up 
cottages and leasing lots in what was then known as South Santa Monica, 
because such lots on the sand could not be sold until their advantages were dem- 
onstrated. Through their effort the Y. M. C. A. was induced to locate its sum- 
mer home on this beach and the " Ocean Park " Association was formed. 



330 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



Messrs. Kinney and Ryan planted out trees, planned parks and pavilions, wharfs 
and sidewalks, and, slowly, they developed what became, for a time at least, the 
most popular resort on the beach — the old Ocean Park district. 

But there was still a stretch of sand to the south of the settled area which 
was apparently hopeless, as it was little more than a salt marsh. Drainage sug- 
gested canals to Mr. Kinney, and he had a vision of a city that should equal in 
beauty and picturesqueness the \*enice of his youthful enthusiasm. With the 
unfettered confidence of the progressive American in the power of mind and 




f'REATIXG VENICE. 



money over material obstacles, he began the creation of an ideal city upon his 
salt marsh. The courage and the persistence with which he has met the many 
unforeseen obstacles, the misunderstanding, and the o])position of a small but 
bitter faction, makes the history of Venice of America the crowning achieve- 
ment of Mr. Kinney's long and active career in California. While the plans 
and the hopes of her projector have not all been fulfilled, Venice is already the 
most beautiful and the most uniciue pleasure resort on the P^acific coast. 

Venicu of America. 

In January, 1904, the Ocean Park Improvement Company was dissolved and 
Mr. Kinney took over the unimproved and apparently worthless tract of land 
lying to the south of the Club House Tract and the Short Line Beach. When 
he began to talk of his plans for a city which should have canals for streets and 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 331 

which should recall the most picturesque and romantic city of Europe in its 
features, the public was distinctly skeptical. " Kinney's dream " was a phrase 
heard on all sides, while the plans were taking form and the scheme was still 
in the paper stage. Still, as the plans were outlined, rumors of the new rival to 
" Alantic City " excited interest, although the doubters were in the ascendency. 
The first decided move was made when the Board of Supervisors were petitioned 
for the vacation and abandonment of that portion of the Ballona- Santa Monica 
road passing through the proposed city of Venice. On May loth, 1904, Mr. 
Kinney presented to the board of city trustees of Ocean Park a plat of Venice 
View tract, lying to the east and north of the Club House and containing 67 
lots. 

Soon afterward Mr. F. \. Dunham was sent east to visit resorts, study 
plans and obtain ideas which might be of value in making the new city beautiful 
and attractive. June 21st the first contract was let, that for the excavation of 
the grand canal which was to be 70 feet wide, 4 feet deep and half a mile long. 
Other canals were to extend from this canal and form a net work. These canals 
were to be lined with concrete. The first spadeful of earth on the canal system 
was turned August 15th and thereafter an army of men and teams were em- 
ployed in removing the tons of sand and earth necessary to make these water- 
ways. The system was completed by the extension of a canal through from 
the Venice tract to the lagoon at Playa del Rey, the work being done by the 
property owners. 

June 27th the contract for the ship-hotel was let. This idea of a ship-hotel 
was regarded as chimerical, at first, by the public. But as the piers were set 
and the outlines became evident, interest was aroused and real estate men began 
to drop in to see what was going on. In July the contract for the electric light- 
ing and power plant was let and soon afterward work began in preparation for 
building the pier. This was planned to be 1700 feet in length and thirty feet 
wide. The first timber was set September 5th and thereafter work was pushed 
as rapidly as men and material could be procured. 

December 5th ground was broken for the first building on Windward avenue 
— St. Mark's Hotel. Already contracts for $300,000 worth of building had been 
let. By this time the newspapers and the public were fully alive to the fact 
that something was doing in Venice of America, and the interest increased as 
the greatness of the plans and the lavish expenditure of the ])rojector became 
evident. It was reported that the sales in fourteen days during November 
amounted to $386,000 and lots were now rapidly changing hands. 

With 1905 developments moved even more rapidly. Plans for an Audi- 
torium on the pier, which was to be the finest building of the kind on the coast, 
began to take shape. It was announced that a Summer Assembly would be held 
here which should represent the best of modern thought and art. Speakers and 
artists and teachers, the best afiforded bv our country, were to be heard and the 



32>2 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

summer was to be one long- intellectual feast. Work on pier and buildings was 
rushed at even g-reater speed, for there was none too much time to complete the 
preparations. And then, during- February and March, came the heaviest seas 
known on the Pacific coast for a generation. The \^enice pier was wrecked, the 
pavilion and t)thcr buildings were badly damaged. At a low estimate the losses 
reached $50,000 and the public declared that the buildings over the water, as 
planned, would never be safe. 

But Mr. Kinney was not (launte<l. He immediately secured permission from 
the government to erect a breakwater at his own expense to protect his property. 
This — the only private breakwater in the United States — was constructed as soon 
as it was possible to do the work. It was made of rock, 500 feet in length, 
circular in form and extending 60 feet from the shore at a cost of about $100,000. 
It forms a safe refuge for small craft and for swimming. The rebuilding of the 
pier and the wrecked buildings was carried on at top speed. The present Audi- 
torium, a beautiful building, perfect in its adaptation for public uses, with all the 
fittings of a modern theatre and a seating capacity of 3600. was ready for use 
on the date announced for the opening of the Assembly, July 2nd. It had been 
constructed in 28 days. No better example of the conquest of apparently un- 
surmountable difificulties has been shown in our business world. 

On June 30th, the water was turned into the canals and as the waterways 
and lagoon were filled, for the first time, the magnificence of the design dawned 
upon the onlookers. On the evening of July 2nd the electric lights for illumina- 
tion were turned on, 17,000 lamps being used. The efifect was magical. During 
the day the great pipe organ in the Auditorium was dedicated bv Clarence Eddy. 
On July 3rd, the day was given over to the workmen who had aided in creating 
Venice and July Fourth witnessed the greatest celebration of the day ever known 
in this part of the state. It was estimated that 40,000 people visited Venice 
during the day. There was music and speeches in the Assembly hall ; music, 
swimming contests and fire works on the lagoon. 

The Venice Assembly under the direction of B. Fay Mills, held regular 
sessions during July and August. It was attended by large numbers of people 
and furnished a fine program of speakers, such as Joaquin Miller, Dr. Josiah 
Strong, N. O. Nelson and many others, beside furnishing instruction in many 
branches. To accommodate the people who attended it, the tent citv was built 
along the canals and proved one of the most popular features of Venice life. 
It was Mr. Kinney's hope to make this a center of education and culture and in 
pursuance of that purpose, for the winter season of 1905-6 Ellery's Band was 
engaged to furnish daily music; a large part of the foreign exhibits at the 
Portland fair were brought to Venice, and every effort was made to furnish 
high class entertainments. Sports of every kind were also provided for yacht 
races, tennis tonrnamerts, swimming; bath horses and boat houses were biu'lt. 
To further attract the public arrangements were made to open the 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



333 



Midway Plaisance and in November the contract was let for eleven buildings 
to accommodate this feature. It was opened to the public in January, 1906 and 
attracted a good deal of attention; but was not a finanical success. In May, 1906 
Sarah Bernhardt, who would not submit to the demands of the American Theater 
Trust, played for three days in the Venice Auditorium and declared herself de- 
lighted, with all the fervor of her ardent nature, with this playhouse over the 

waves. 

Venice was provided with the best of fire protection, a system of salt water 
under high pressure which is always on. It is only necessary to open the fire- 
hvdrants in order to obtain an unlimited amount of water which can be put any- 




LAK1-: CIF VENICE. 

where desired. The town is also well supplied with fresh water for domestic 
use. During 1906 the bath house on the lagoon and the dance Pavilion on the 
pier were built ; both of them beautiful buildings, complete in every detail. 
Twelve concrete bridges were built across the canals and lagoons and many 
street improvements were made. The streets and alley ways of Venice were 
dedicated to the city by its owner; but this city within a city has its own fire 
protection and water system, its own sewer s}-stem and — to a large extent — its 
own police protection and street cleaning service. Much thought has been given 
to the beautifying of the streets and gardens of Venice. Suitable trees and 
plants have been placed along the borders of the canals and ornamental parks 
are a part of the scheme in its full treatment. A harbor for commerce and for 
a military base is also a part of the plan. 



334 IIIS'I'ORV OF SAXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

A special feature of \>nice attractions is the social life of the coniinunity. 
The Country Club has always been a favorite resort for those who cared for 
sports. The tennis courts have been the scene of some brilliant social affairs. 
The afternoon teas of the ladies of the club are pleasant affairs. 

The Five Hundred Club is an organization of ladies which meets Monday 
affernoons at the Cabrillo for a social card game. The Sunshine Club, of which 
Mrs. J. M. White is president, meets once in two weeks to work for charitable 
purposes. The members of this unique little club are doing a good work and 
hold most enjoyable meetings. 

The society dances on Tuesday evenings at the pavilion have become a 
])opular feature of Venice society and are attended by many outsiders. Tlig 
children's dances, the swimming parties at the bath houses, the boating, are all 
features that add to the enjoyment of life. 

In January, 1907 the Venice Chamber of Commerce was organized with 
Dr. John Stanwood as president ; J. G. French first vice-president ; David Evans, 
second vice-president; Lewis Bradt, secretary and R. A. Dullugge, treasurer. 
The directors were Abbot Kinney, J. D. Simpson, Dr. J. B. Sands, H. C, Mayes, 
F. E. Reid, R. A. Phillips, Henry Wildey. This organization has since its for- 
mation taken an active part in everything pertaining to the welfare of Venice. 
It has been especially concerned in furthering Mr. Kinney's plans for a deep-sea 
harbor. The Venice harbor will be the nearest to Eos Angeles, the least costlv 
to build, the easiest to enter and to leave, and the safest from storm of anv on 
the Pacific Coast. The plans have been approved by the government and it is 
expected that they will be carried out in the near future. The Chamber of 
Commerce took a leading part in the effort for disincorporation ; in securing the 
location of a shoe factory, giving employment to thirty or more men, at Venice: 
in the proposed boulevard from Eos Angeles by way of Palms, in securing the 
Polytechnic High School, and in many other ways it has worked for the advance- 
ment of the community. At its second annual meeting, the officers chosen were. 
Dr. J. A. Stanwood. president; J. 0. French, first vice-president; H. P. Eakins, 
second vice-president: W. A. Rennie. secretary; R. A. Dullugge, treasurer. The 
executive committee consists of Abbot Kinnev. 11. Wickizer, H. C. Mayes, Dr. 
J. M. White, T. R. Taylor, C. A. Stavenow. 

Playa Del Rev. 
The ocean frontage of Ea Ballona Rancho was known in earlv daws as 
Ballona Slough. It consisted of marshy fields, broken bv sand dunes, ponds and 
lagoons of salt water, which were considered to be utterly worthless except as a 
home for ducks and other game birds. About 1870, Will Tell, a German of 
convivial ])r(jpcnsities built a shack, almost on the spot now occupied bv the Del 
Rey hotel, which he called " Tell's Eookout." For several years he kept u]) this 
estal)lishnient, advertising himself as agent for " Don Keller's native wines and 
brandies," and furnishing boats, gmis and fishing tackle for his patrons. His 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 335 

place was a favorite resort for Los Angeles sportsmen and many a party of 
distinguished guests partook of his native products and hunted duck in his boats. 
The locality was generally known as " Will Tell's " in those days. 

In 1877 Michael Dufify, another royal host who will be remembered by many 
old timers, opened " Hunter's Cottage " in Tell's old location and was •' prepared 
to furnish sportsmen with board and lodging for man and beast ; guns, ammuni- 
tions, boats and everything complete for hunter's outfit. Good fishing and bath- 
ing in the vicinity. Come and enjoy a few days sport and I will use every 
means to make it pleasant for you." 

The flats of Ballona were looked upon as of value only to sportsmen until 
about 1885. The approach of the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe railway, 
and the first rumblings of the approaching boom, brought many hitherto un- 
dreamed of projects to the surface. One of these was the scheme of creatmg 
a harbor out of the lagoons of La Ballona slough. In the spring of 1886 the 
Ballona Harbor and improvement Company was organized by capitalists of Los 
Angeles, M. L. Wicks being the leading spirit in the enterprise at that time. 
Among the directors were James Campbell F. Sabichi, H. W. Alills, E. H. 
Boyd, and Dr. Lotspeich. 

The capital stock of the company was $300,000, Hugh Crabbe, an engineer 
of national reputation, was engaged to plan the work. It was proposed to exca- 
vate a channel 200 feet long by 300 wide which would let the tide into the lagoon 
at the point where Ballona creek entered the ocean. This, with dredgnig, would 
create an inner harbor two miles long and from 300 to 600 feet wide, with a depth 
of from six to twenty feet. It was declared that this harbor would float the 
fleets of the world. This harbor was to be the terminus of the Santa Fe, or 
Ytlantic and Pacific, as it was then known, and was declared to be the nearest 
point to the Gulf of Mexico possible for an ocean port and 800 miles nearer to 
the Hawaian Islands than San Francisco. A franchise was granted to the Los 
Angeles and Santa Monica Railway, an ofifshoot of the Santa Fe, although or- 
ganized bv the members of the Ballona Harbor Company, to construct a wharf 
and ship canal at Ballona and work was begun during the year. The Los An- 
geles Express comments on the work being done in December, 1886, and says, 
- The hills around the harbor afford splendid sites for residences and will noubt- 
less be rapidly covered with houses."— a prediction which proved to be rather 
previous. 

Monday, August 21st, 1887, the railroad line was completed and the first 
train brought an excursion party of about 300 people to inspect the harbor im- 
provements and make speeches on the " great future " of this Port Ballona. A 
large amount of dredging was done and a large amount of money— nearly $300,- 
000 was spent during the three years in which work was carried on more or 
less spasmodically upon the proposed harbor. The directorate of the company 
changed, M. L. Wicks dropping out and Louis Mesmer. Juan Bernard and others 



336 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

coming- in. \W July 4th, 1888, work had come to a standstill and only a watch- 
man to guard the dredger and other property of the company was left on the 
ground. The Outlook in December, 1889, states that " The father of the Ballona 
Harbor scheme has been working on his pet project again. He is having the 
place cleaned up and getting ready to begin dredging again." But soon after- 
ward a storm carried away the greater portion of the wharf and deposited it 
along the shore at Santa Monica — wdiere it was welcomed as firewood. 

The dredger and barges were then taken away and Port Ballona became a 
thing of the past. Many causes operated to make the scheme impracticable, — 
the blue clay formation underneath the sand, the currents which brought sand 
back faster than it could be dredged out, and the failure of the Santa Fe system 
to co-operate with the projectors. 

A last echo of the Ballona Harbor Company was heard in 1892, when they 
entered a vigorous protest against the abandonment of the railroad right of way 
to Ballona and the removal of the rails from that branch by the Southern Cali- 
fornia Railway Company. But the protest availed nothing — the road to Ballona 
was taken up and a new line to Santa Monica took its place. 

For fifteen years after the abandoment of work upon the Port of Ballona, 
the lagoons and sand dunes remained a sportsman's paradise. The Recreation 
Gun Club purchased a large tract of the ocean frontage and the lagoons were 
only disturbed by the dipping of paddles and the echo of shot guns. Then came 
a new^ era of life for Ballona Slough. 

In June, 1902. it was announced that a company of capitalists had incor- 
porated as the " Beach Land Company " and had purchased a thousand acres 
of land, including two and one-half miles of beach frontage from the Mesmer 
estate. This included the old Ballona Harbor. Among the incorporators were 
F. H. Rindge, M. H. Sherman, E. P. Clark, E. T. Earle, R. C. Gillis and a 
number of other prominent Southern California men. Henry P. Barbour was 
president of the company ; M. H. Sherman and Arthur H. Fleming, vice-presi- 
dents ; A. I. Smith, secretary ; P. M. Green treasurer. 

The plans of this company were most elaborate. The new resort was to 
be named " I^'laya del Rey ", The King's Beach, or the King's Playground, as 
it was later translated. The Los Angeles-Pacific Company w^ould at once build 
to the harbor, wdiich was to be improved. A $200,000 hotel was proposed. 
Plans were made and plats completed under the direction of a landscape 
gardener. 

The company advertised their intentions lilx^rallv and the first sale of lots, 
July 1 6th. was a large one, many well known citizens being among the pur- 
chasers. Work was at once begun on grading and improvements. October 
19th the electric road had cars running to Playa del Rey and a large number of 
excursionists visited the " King's Beach." Work continued steadily on the 
improvements during the next year. The lagoon, two miles long, of still water 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 337 

for bathing and boating proved itself a popular feature — even before its com- 
pletion. Forty boats and gasoline launches were provided for the accommoda- 
tion of patrons. 

During the year the Redondo line was completed thus opening up a 
new district, and providing railway facilities for residents of the beach 
south of the harbor. In December, 1903, it was announced that an auto- 
mobile speedway from Los Angeles to Playa del Rey would be constructed 
under the auspices of the Southern California Automobile club. This boulevard 
would be eighteen miles in length, thirty feet wide and would be made the 
finest automobile road in the country. 

With the opening of 1904 the rush of improvements at Playa del Rey in- 
creased. Plans were made for the pavilion, which was to be three stories in 
heighth, with restaurant and dining room, bowling alleys and dancing floor and 
ample provisions for picnic and banquets. Work on this structure was rushed 
and it was opened to the public with a grand celebration of the occasion, boat 
races, dancing, etc., on November 25th. The hotel Del Rey, a handsome 
structure containing fifty rooms was built this year by George A. Cook, a 
capitalist of Redlands who had become largely interested in Playa del Rey. 
Boat houses and bandstand were completed. A two story bank building had 
been erected and many handsome cottages had been completed along the lagoon 
and on the blufif. In June 1904 a post ofiice was established at Playa del Rey, 
with Frank Lawton, lessee of the pavilion as postmaster. The electric line to 
Santa Monica was completed, thus giving a much improved car service, as the 
fare to Santa Monica was made five cents. 

It is estimated that the Beach Land Company and the Los Angeles-Pacific 
Company spent at least $200,000 on the foundation work for this resort. Six- 
hundred acres of sand beach, rolling dunes and lofty blufifs were graded and 
prepared for building permanent residences. In leveling lands and excavating 
for the lagoon, more than 700,000 cubic yards of sand were used for filling 
in purposes. Sidewalks were constructed along the beach and the lagoon; a 
sewer svstem ; water system and electric lights provided. An unusually high 
class of buildings was put up and the expectation of the projectors were largely 
realized, yet much still remained to make the resort all that was hoped for. 
During 1905, two suspension bridges were thrown across the lagoon and an 
incline railway constructed to the top of Mount Ballona, as the blufif is known. 
In April, through the eiTorts largely of Joseph Mesmer, Playa del Rey school 
district was organized, with 26 children. 



22 



CHAPTER XII. 

Pacific Branch National Home For Disabled Veterans. 

THE L'nited States has made liberal provision for the support and care of 
her volunteer soldiers. After allowing them pensions and land bounties, 
it became evident as early as 1865 that a large class of disabled and 
elderly veterans required care and attention which could only be given in an insti- 
tution especially adapted to the purpose. In consequence of this demand, Con- 
gress passed an act establishing a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 
in 1865. Later branches of this home were established in various parts of the 
United States. These establishments are governed by a Board of Managers, 
subject to the supervision of the War Department. There are now ten Homes 
in the United States. 

In March, 1887, an act authorizing the establishment of the Pacific Coast 
branch was passed by congress and in November of that year a commission of 
which Gen. William B. Franklin, president of the National Board of Managers : 
Col. William Blanding, of San Francisco; Col. E. P. Brown, Gen. James S. 
Negley and six other members of the National Board, were members, met in 
San Francisco to consider the several propositions which had been made for sites 
for the new branch. A large number of propositions were submitted from 
every section of the state. 'Many of these were generous in providing free land 
and other inducements to secure the Home ; but only two offers were made of a 
free site and also a cash bonus. 

The commissioners, after a careful consideration of the proposals, visited the 
various localities selected ,as worthy of serious consideration. A number of 
ofifers had been made from Southern California localities. One which presented 
many favorable points was near San Diego. Another very generous oflfer was 
that of the Inglewood-Centinella people. The choice in Southern California, 
however, soon narrowed down to two proposals, — that of the Hesperia Land 
and Water Co., of San Bernardino county, offering 500 acres of land, with 
water, and $250,000 cash ; and that of Messrs. Jones, Baker and Wolf skill, offer- 
ing 300 acres of land, a supply of water equal to 120,000 gallons per day, and 
$100,000 in cash — to be expended in improving the grounds. 

The commission after going carefully over the land, investigating the sources 
of water supply and the conditions generally, were banqueted at the hotel 
Arcadia and left for the north. They left California without announcing a 
decision ; but before reaching Washington, they decided by a vote of eight to 
two, to acce])t the Santa Monica pro])osition. In December, 1887, Col. Charles 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 339 

Treichel, of Philadelphia, was appointed governor of the new branch and in 
January, 1888. he arrived on the ground and took charge of the preparations for 
the establislinient of the institution. 

The branches are all under the management of the National Board of Man- 
agers, with a local manager and a corps of officers. The officials are always 
men who have served with honor as officers of the United States Army. Colonel 
Treichel, the first governor of the Pacific Branch, made a brilliant record with 
the Army of the Potomac. He was several time wounded, and the end of the 
war found him Major of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry and Brevet Colonel of 
the U. S. Volunteers. Under his direction work was begun to supply the 
grounds selected as the site of the buildings with a sufficient amount of water 
from temporary wells, while the survey for a pipe line and reservoirs was made 
inider the supervision of Col. Mendell, of the U. S. Survey force. By July 4th, 
the first building on the grounds, " Junipero cottage "" was nearly ready for use 
by the governor and the flag pole was in place for the raising of the flag which 
marked the occupancy of the grounds by the U. S. government. 

The location of this branch has proved to be almost ideal. Owing to 
the failure of " boom " laid plans, the cash bonus was not paid to the govern- 
ment by the Wolfskill ranch owners, but in lieu of this they placed at the 
disposal of the Home a tract of 330 acres, thus giving the government over 
600 acres of land, a large part of which was tillable. The site chosen for 
the buildings was a gently sloping elevation, commanding a fine view, sheltered 
from winds of the north b\' mountains and open to the ocean breezes. It was 
planned to distribute the buildings in the form of a crescent, facing the south, 
and this general plan has been followed. The early appropriations were not 
large and at first the buildings were very simple in design and structure. 
The first barracks were completed in December, 1888, and were at once filled, 
a number of old soldiers having collected about the Home and been accom- 
modated in camps until the buildings were ready. The dining hall and 
hospital were also built this year. 

Up to the present, eleven barracks have been put up. Each is two 
stories, surrounded on three sides by verandas and equipped with all modern 
conveniences. From 150 to 200 men are accommodated in each, under the 
government of one of their own number who is known as " Captain," who is 
responsible for the conduct and order of his building. 

The dining hall and kitchen have been several times enlarged. The 
kitchen is provided with every convenience for facilitating the work of pre- 
paring three meals a day for from T,ooo to 1,500 people. The dining hall will 
now seat nearly a thousand men at a time. As the appropriations have come 
in from year to year, new buildings which provide for the comfort and happi- 
ness of the old soldiers have been erected. For manv vears the librarv was 



340 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

located in the Headquarters building; but in 1906 Markham Hall, a handsome 
structure was erected. On the lower floor is a beautiful and well appointed 
library and reading room. Above is an assembly room for the use of various 
societies and public meetings. In 1900 the chapel was erected. This is a 
pretty building, unique in that under one roof is a Protestant and a Catholic 
church — separated by a thick wall. The organ in the Protestant chapel was 
prestend by T. H. Hatch, a member of the home — a musician and composer. 
The new hospital, built in 1904, is most complete. Here the old veterans 
receive every attention that can be given in the best equi])i)ed of private hos- 
pitals. A corps of nurses is employed. Ward Memorial Hall, built in 1898, 
provides a fully equipped stage and a pleasant gathering place for amusements, 
concerts, and so on. 

The buildings are all surrounded by carefully kept grounds, which are 
adorned with trees and flowers. This is one of the most beautifully arranged 
and kept parks in the country, and the climate gives perpetual bloom and 
greenness, making it a perennial garden of beauty. The many trees which 
have been set out on the Home grounds have now attained a fine growth and 
some of the long avenues through the reservation are delightful and enticing 
drives and walks. 

A large amount of hay and grain are raised on the place each year, beside 
all the vegetables and most of the fruit required for the table. Now the citrus 
fruit orchards are coming into bearing and considerable shipments of fruit are 
made beside supplying the Home. Fine stock — cattle, horses and hogs, are 
kept and thus the Home is in part self-supporting. In 1903-4 the farm is 
reported as netting $25,069 to the institution. 

The postoffice at the Home was established October ist, 1889, with Henry 
T. Lenty as postmaster. In 1895 it was made a money order ofifice with all 
the facilities of a city ofifice. A large amount of business is transacted yearly 
through this ofifice, the money order department especially handling an unusual 
volume of business as many of the members send a portion, at least, of their 
pension funds to families. 

The Home is abundantly supplied with water for domestic use and for 
irrigation. The first arrangement was a series of reservoirs in Rustic canyon 
with a pipe line to the grounds. During the dry seasons of 1898-1900 this 
source of water supply proved insufticient and wells were put down. Later 
arrangements were made with the West Los Angeles Water Company to 
supply water and in 1905 the government made an appropriation for a storage 
reservoir to hold a million gallons of water. This is located on the Home 
groiuids. An electric light and power plant was erected on the grounds and 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 341 

furnished the needed " juice " for the Home until 1902 when contracts were 
made with the Edison company to supply the service. 

Since the establishment of the Pacific Branch about $800,000 has been 
expended by the government in permanent improvements. The annual expendi- 
tures of the institution average about $350,000. Between $200,000 and $300,000 
is paid annually as pensions to the members of the Home. It will be seen 
that this means a large amount of money which is annually expended largely in 
Southern California and much of which is turned into local channels. Beside 
this, the beautiful grounds and the whole institution is a great attraction and 
one in which the people of Southern California and particularly of the Santa 
Monica Bay Region take great pride. 

The first governor of the Pacific Branch, Col. Treichel, died March 28th, 
1894, having always suffered from the effect of the wounds received during 
the war. He had shown himself an able man and had brought the institution 
safely through the most critical years of its existence and created a beautiful 
and orderly home, well managed and popular among the veterans of the west, 
for whose benefit it was intended. Col. Treichel had contended with many 
difficulties and obstacles in laying the foundations of so large an establish- 
ment ; but he had given himself to the work with great devotion. 

Governor Treichel was succeeded by Col. J- G. Rowland, who remained 
in charge of the Pacific Branch until April, 1897, when he was transferred 
to the Leavenworth Branch and Col. A. G. Smith, of the Leavenworth Home, 
was brought here. Governor Smith was a strict disciplinarian and made many 
new rules and regulations which were intended for the general good ; but 
which some of the veterans felt were infringements of their personal liberty. 
The feeling against him was strong among a few of the members, although 
the majority believed that he had only the best good of the institution in view. 
On September 26th, 1898, Albert Bradley, who had previously shown symptoms 
of insanity, shot Governor Smith as he was passing through the grounds. It 
was feared at first that the wound would prove fatal ; but no vital point had 
been touched and Governor Smith recovered although never entirely restored 
to health again. After this unfortunate affair, he resigned and retired 
January ist, 1899. He was succeeded by the present incumbent. General O. 
H. La Grange. 

October 20th, 1899, another tragedy startled and saddened Home circles. 
]\Iajor F. K. Upham had served as quartermaster and treasurer of the Pacific 
Branch since April 20th, 1895. He was genial, kind and lovable and most 
popular with the officers and the members. On this morning as he was pre- 
paring to go to the railroad station for money to pay the employees, he acci- 
dentally struck one of his pistols in such a manner as to discharge the contents 



342 



lllSTokV OF SAXTA MOXICA BAY CITIES 



into his body and cause instant deatli. Great sorrow was felt by members of 
the Home, by officials and the public generall} at this untimely loss. Major T. 
J. Cochran was ai)pointed to till the vacant place and still remains in the 
position. 

( )ne of the best-known officers of the Home was Major H. G. liasse, 
who for eighteen years filled the office of chief surgeon of the Home. In 1905 
he resigned and his place was filled by the ap])ointment of Dr. ( ). C. -McNar\-, 
formerly of the Leavenworth Home. 

The first member admitted to the Pacific Branch was George Davis, late 
of Company B, 14th N. Y. Cavalry. He was transferred from the Davton. 




SOLDIERS' HOME. 



Ohio, Home and came with Col. Treichel as his clerk. In December, 1888, a 
number of veterans who had gathered on the grounds in anticipation of the 
opening of the Home, were received into the barracks. In March, 1889, 
one hundred members of the Yountville, Cal., Home were brought to the new 
Home. The Yountville Home had been established in 1883 by private contri- 
butions from the G. A. R. and Mexican Veterans' societies. The next year 
the state adopted it, allowing $150 for each veteran cared for by the institution. 
lyater it passed under control of the United States government, and is still 
maintained as a home for members of the G. A. R. 

Applications for quarters in the Pacific Branch are always far in advance 
of the room, for the advantages of climate and favorable location attract many 
of the " old bo\s " from other parts of the United States. There are at present 
3.^119 nieml)ers, of whom 2,088 are present. The death rate among these old 



HISTORY OF SANTA ^lONICA BAY CITIES 343 

men is, of course large, yet it is small in this Home, when the age of the men 
is considered and also the fact that a large proportion of them have been in 
some manner disabled. At first the National Home was intended only for 
those veterans who had been so disabled that they were unable to earn a 
living, and who were dependent. The rules for admission have been gradually 
broadened until now any veteran who can show an honorable discharge can 
be received into the Home. Many avail themselves of the privilege temporarily 
or for only part of the time, thus receiving the benefits of hospital treatment 
and care when ill. 

Everything is done to make the institution as homelike as possible and to 
interfere with the personal liberty of the members as little as possible. Only 
such discipline as is absolutely necessary to obtain order in a large body of 
men is enforced. Members of the Home receive pensions, when entitled to 
them; and as many as are able or desire it, receive employment about the Home, 
being paid for their services. A number of them have homes at Sawtelle and 
reside with their families, while receiving the benefits of membership in the 
Home. 

Two Grand Army Posts are maintained, the John A. Martin Post and 
the Uncle Sam Post. A Masonic society and various other organizations are 
sustained by the members. Frequent entertainments are given for their benefit 
in the theater, assemlily hall and churches, and the men entertain themselves 
with tales of their fighting and active days as they sit about the parks and the 
verandas of their barracks. An abundance of reading matter is supplied by 
the library and the members are many of them regular subscribers for maga- 
zines and daily papers. 

In 1898, during the Spanish war excitement, a company of 5CK) was 
organized by the old soldiers and volunteered its services in case of need. Had 
this company of veterans been called into the field, it would have undoubtedly 
acquitted itself with credit beside younger men. 

After " pension da\- " a large number usually go out on furlough, and 
some of them spend their money foolishly. Everv effort is made to protect 
them by the Home management and b}- the city and count}' officials, yet " blind 
pigs "' and disreputable places exist and the soldiers find them. The arrest of 
veterans are made much of by the newspapers and the pulilic. yet the proportion 
of disorder is small and crimes are seldom committed by members of the Home. 

The passing of the veterans of the civil war is only a question of a 
comparatively few years now, and it is only just that every effort should be 
made by the government and the citizens of the United States to make these 
remaining years pleasant — at least to provide all possible comforts and care, 
when necessary, for these heroes of the past. 




STEPHEN H. TAFT. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SawtellE. 

T,HE lands now included in the thriving town of Sawtelle were originally 
a part of the San Mcente grant. Traces of the old adobe homes of the 
Sepiilvedas ; the two springs because of which the name of Santa Monica 
was bestowed, and of the old burial ground of San Vicente rancho are found 
here. When, in 1896, Messrs. Sherman and Clark acquired the old Los Angeles 
and Pacific right of way and proposed to build an electric line to the beach, they 
asked the citizens of Santa Alonica and the Jones and Baker interests for a 
cash subsidy to aid them in the work. In response to this request. ^lessrs. Jones 
and Baker donated to the company a tract of 225 acres, now included in the 
townsite of Sawtelle. Mr. Sherman soon offered to sell the land for cash as 
he said he couldn't build a railroad with land. Messrs. R. F. Jones and R. C. 
Gillis purchased this tract, which lay just south of the Soldier's Home. Up to 
that time there had been no settlers on this land, the only building being a shack 
at the railroad crossing which was known as Castle Garden. Messrs. Jones and 
Gillis considered the possibility of selling this land in small tracts to old soldiers 
and finally secured from the management of the Home permission for members 
to build houses and reside outside of the reservation without losing their mem- 
bership in the Home. 

In 1896, Rev. S. H. Taft. who had had past experience in building up a 
town, having been the original proprietor of the beautiful town of Himiboldt, 
Iowa and the founder and first president of the College of Humboldt, located 
in that town, was invited to inspect the land of the Pacific Land Company. 
He gave it as his opinion that it would be quite possible to develop a thriving 
community here, provided water could be obtained. The company was already 
putting down wells and was successful in obtaining a fine flow of water from two 
wells. They put up a 50.000 gallon tank and began to lay pipes and grade 
streets. In February, 1897. the company asked Mr. Taft to take charge of the 
new enterprise upon a commission basis. Mr. Taft consented to do so upon 
three conditions,— ist. That the company should fix a maxinnun and minimum 
price upon all lots and acreage in the plat surveyed ; and leave him at liberty to 
sell within the limits named. 2nd. That he should have absolute control of all 
sales and that no other parties should be given authority to make sales ; in case 
of the company selling lands he to receive his commission on same. 3rd. That 
his control of the enterprise should continue for five years. 

Under this agreement Mr. Taft assumed charge and at once began the 



346 



HISTORY OF v^AXTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



erection of a cottage and office and the transformation of a barley field into a 
town. The original plat embraced between two and three hundred acres, un- 
broken' by any road except the electric line. The first work was to make a cross- 
ing at Fourth street and a little later to secure the co-operation of Governor 
Smith of the Soldier's Home in opening up Fourth street from the Home build- 
ings through the town plat and also the consent of the San Vicente grant owners 
to continue the road to the public road from Santa Monica to Los Angeles, thus 
giving a new and better road than had previously been available to the Home 
grounds. Trees were set out along Fourth street and other streets were graded 
and planted with ornamental trees. 

The office of the company was opened in " Lawn cottage," May ist, 1897 
and almost immediately Mr. Laird com]ileted a building on the block purchased 




FIRST HOUSE ERECTED IN SAWTELLE. 1S97. 



l)y him at the corner of Oregon and Fourth, the first lots sold on the new towiT 
site. Mr. Laird opened here the first grocery store in the settlement. 

Mr. Taft at once took steps to secure a school district. He found in the 
fall of 'c)7 that there were thirteen children of school age, but the law required 
fifteen before a district could be formed. ^Matters came to a standstill until 
Mr. Taft accidentally learned of a bee keeper who had a ranch about two miles 
north of the Soldier's Home. He at once drove up to the bee ranch and to his 
delight found that the bee man had four children of the necessary age. The 
next dav ]\Ir. Taft went before the supervisors with his petition and early in 
1898 a new school district was set aside and named Barrett district, after Gen. 
A. W. Barrett, for many years local manager of the Home and an old friend 
of Mr. R. C. Gillis. A site was selected for a school house and an acre of 
ground for school purposes was purchased of the company for $150.00. During 
the summer a school house, 10 by 12 feet in size was erected on the east side of 
Fourth street and in September, 1898, the first school was opened, with Miss- 
Goldsmith as teaclier and witl: five i)n])ils. Mr. Taft had also begun correspond- 



HISTORY OF SAXTA ^lOXICA BAY CITIES 347 

ence to secure a post office for the new town. The postal authorities expressed 
a wilHngness to estabhsh the post office but objected to the name "" Barrett " on 
account of its similarity to Bassett. Mr. W. E. Sawtelle had lately become 
interested in the town and his name was suggested ; he consented to its use and 
it was sent on to the authorities who accepted it. This led to the change of 
name of the school district and town to Sawtelle. 

May 25th. 1899. the editor of the Outlook, after a visit to l>arrett X'illa. 
writes : 

" Barrett is yet an infant in age, it being but twelve months since its lots 
were placed upon the market. But it is a stalwart youth in development and 
strength. It has several miles of neatly graded streets lined with young palms 
and other varieties of beautiful trees. It has a church, a model school house, a 
town hall, a nobby little depot and many beautiful cottages surrounded by well 
kept grounds. 

" Barrett is on the electric car line fifteen miles from Los Angeles and 
about three miles from Santa Monica. A spur of the Southern Pacific system 
extending to the Home, touches its eastern limits. 

" It lies three miles from The Palms and five miles from Ballona. Broad 
and fertile fields lie around it in all directions, and a few miles awa\' is the 
Sierre Madre range of mountains with its towering cliffs, its rugged gulches 
and its beautiful canyons. Invigorating ocean breezes tempered bv a sweej) 
over the land, give it an irreproachable all the year climate. A broad extent of 
ocean is visible in one direction, and the city of Los Angeles is in view on the 
opposite side. L^nderlying strata at a depth of about 70 feet furnish an in- 
exhausitable supply of pure soft water. The surface soil is perfectlv adapted to 
the growth of the lemon and the deciduous fruits, all ornamental trees that adorn 
Southern California, small fruits, flowering shrubs and plants of everv variety, 
lawns, and garden vegetables. 

"Barrett's many advantages are easily set forth. They are: 

" Its beautiful location ; its accessibility and low rates of fare either from 
city or seashore ; it pure water supply ; its adaptability to vegetable growth of 
ever\- character ; its school and church privileges. 

" The moderate price asked for building sites and acreage and the liberal 
terms of payment granted ; its peculiar and unequaled climatic advantages ; its 
proximity to one of the most interesting Xational institutions — the Veteran's 
Home, with its 2000 members. Several prominent citizens both of Los An- 
geles and Santa Monica have already purchased lots here and will at once begin 
improvements upon them. Among these is Mr. Sawtelle of the latter place, 
who has already beautified a block on cMie of the principal streets." 

The Pacific Land Company had fixed the prices for land at from $80 to 
$100 for inside lots; $150 to $200 for corner lots and acreage from $150 to 
$200. A considerable number of old soldiers availed themselves of these prices 



348 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



to obtain lots or acreage, many of them buying on the installment plan and 
paying as their pension money came in. It was noticeable that some men who 
had hitherto squandered their money in dissipation now purchased land and be- 
came valuable citizens. Many families of veterans and widows also secured 
little homes here. Mr. Taft wrote a series of articles for the press setting 
forth the opportunities ofifered in the new settlement for obtaining homes and 
also sent out many circulars which attracted attention. As the town has grown 
and increased in population, values have also increased very rapidly. Many of 
the original settlers have now disappeared, having sold out to advantage, or 
lost their holdinQ-s. The town was within the mile and a half limit for saloons 




PUBLIC SCHOOL. SAWTELLE. 



imposed by the government for the Soldiers' Home, therefore no saloons could 
be legally maintained within it. This was also an inducement to early settlers. 
Din-ing i8gQ a school house was built on the land purchased for the school 
at a cost of $600. This original building is included in the present building, 
which has been erected at different times as the room was required. Jnly 4th, 
1899, the name of the town was formally changed to Sawtelle. At the same 
time a flag was raised on a sixty foot pole, erected in the park, which was given 
the name of Gillis park. A school bell which had been purchased by the con- 
tributions of the Pacific Land Company and many citizens and soldiers, was put 
in ])lace and rung for the first time. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 



349 



The electric people had erected a neat depot and the Holiness church had 
secured a building on lots at the corner of Second street and Indiana avenue ; 
a number of cottages had been erected and several stores had been opened; 
among the first merchants were Mr. Shull of the Shull Hardware store; F. 
B. McComas ; Farley Brothers and Wyant, who built Wyant hall. 

During 1899 Mr. W. E. Sawtelle became interested in the Pacific Land 
Company and in 1900 he superseded Mr. Taft as manager of the company and 
has since been the chief spirit in the various improvements and the steady ad- 
vance made by the town of Sawtelle. 

At the beginning of 1901 about one hundred families had located within the 
limits of the new town and ten new houses were then in course of construction. 
Two churches, the Holiness and the Free Methodist had been organized and the 
Holiness people had secured lots and erected a chapel. The town had a full 
complement of business houses and the volume of business was surprisingly 
large. During the year several new blocks were laid out and many sidewalks 
were laid, streets graded and other improvements made. In February, 1901, 
the Pacific Veteran-Enterprise, was founded by Air. A. A. Bynon, who later 
sold the plant to Mr. Fitzgerald. In April, 1902, Miss Susie Pierson Miller 
became the editor, a position which she still fills. 

The fact that water could be obtained almost anywhere in the vicinity of 
the town by putting down a well and that the soil was fertile and easily worked, 
made it possible for purchasers of acreage, or even of lots, to raise garden stuff 
potatoes, small fruits, and so on, to advantage; while every house is surrounded 
by flowers and shrubberv. The raising of beans has proved most profitable. 
Almost every property owner in the vicinity of Sawtelle finds it possible to make 
a living at least, off from a very small tract of land. This has been the chief 
reason for the rapid settlement of this locality. The Lindsey tract of 100 acres, 
the Pacific Farms tract and later the Artesian tract have been added to the 
original town site of Sawtelle, thus largely increasing its acreage. In 1902 the 
population was estimated at 500 and more school room became necessary. 
Bonds to the amount of $4,500 were voted for an addition to the buildmg. 

In 1903 The Pacific Land Company built a two story brick building which 
contained several stores. In March, the Santa Alonica Bank opened its Sawtelle 
branch in one of these rooms under the management of Mr. Schuyler Cole. 
The Sawtelle Water Company was incorporated this year with W. E. Sawtelle. 
W. T. Gillis, J. E. Miles, B. A. Nebeker and A. M. Jameson as directors. 

1904 opened with a sensational bank robbery and a destructive fire which, 
on January 27th swept away several buildings on Fourth street. This year C. 
B. Irvine started the Sawtelle Sentinel, an enterprising weekly, which is now 
published by Henry Schultz. The town was now well supplied with religious 
organizations, the Baptist, Alethodist, Christian and Seventh Day Adventists 
having formed churches. A Women's Christian Temperance I'nion. and a 



,]50 HISTORY OF SAXTA MONICA \'>.\\ CITIES 

number of Lodges and ( )r(kTs liad organizations also. The town had now- 
acquired such a population and ini])ortance that its citizens began to discuss the 
propriety of incorporation. Fire protection was needed and some better method 
of controlling the influx of gamblers and " blind pigs " which had followed 
Santa Monica's house cleaning efforts. The matter was discussed for more 
than a vear before any decisive action was taken. The Sawtelle Improvement 
Association was formed during the year and took an active part in the effort 
to secure incorporation. At a mass meeting held January 6th. 1905, W. B. B. 
Taylor, S. H. Taft. O. W. Jewett. Henry Schulz and others urged the matter. 
The question came to vote on August 15th, 1905 and was lost by a vote of 79 
for to 130 against. A good deal of feeling and excitement arose over the result. 
It was proposed that Sawtelle seek annexation with Santa Monica, since she 
would not establish an adequate government of her own. Petitions to this 
eft'ect were circulated and the idea was discussed by the Improvement Associa- 
tion ; but nothing further came of the proposition. 

In 1906 the question of incorporation was again opened. Sawtelle now had 
a population of 1500 and the necessity for a better form of government was 
pressing. After a public meeting where the pros and cons were fully cliscussed, 
officers for the new town were nominated and on November i6th, 1906 another 
vote was taken which resulted 241 votes for incorporation and 58 against it. 
The trustees chosen were C. J. Nellis. chairman; E. E. Mudge, F. C. Langdon. 
J. E. Osburne and A. J. Stoner ; clerk. Leroy Fallis : treasurer, George W. 
Wiseman; marshal, J. P. Keener; W. B. B. Taylor was appointed city attorney 
and O. W. Jewett was appointed city recorder. The incorporation included a 
territory a mile square and extending to the town limits of Santa Monica on the 
west. The new government has not been able to entirely satisfy all and there 
has been talk among the dis-satisfied of dis-incorporation ; but this is merely 
talk and the town will continue to advance — not retrograde. 

During 1906 Mr. F. E. Bundy erected a handsome two-story brick building 
on Oregon avenue and several other business blocks were added. The Citizens 
State Bank was established in 1906, its officers being R. F. McClellan. president: 
W. E. Sawtelle. vice-president; H. VV. Crane, cashier; directors. R. F. McClellan, 
L. D. Loomis. J. P. Brady. D. L. Allen. Many pretty residences were built and 
the town made rapid advance. The opening up of the Westgate section and 
the building of the Westgate branch of the electric line brought rapid develop- 
ment in that direction. 

Naturally the location of Sawtelle in close proximity to the Soldiers' Home 
has been an important factor in its substantial growth. As the nearest business 
point a portion of large sums annually distributed as pensions is spent among 
its business houses, and the traffic and trade of the veterans and their friends 
has formed a solid basis for the prosperity of the town, which now numbers 
about 2,000 inhabitants. 




A. H. WVAXT. 



352 HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 

First Baptist Church. 

November 5th, 1901 a meeting was held in Wyant's hall for the purpose 
of organizing a Baptist ehureh in Sawtelle. After prayer by Rev. E. K. Cooper, 
a veteran, A. A. Bynon was elected chairman and T. R. Gabel, clerk. Sixteen 
persons then enrolled their names as members. Arrangements were at once 
made for the first service, which was held in Wyant's hall, Sunday morning, 
November loth, Rev. George Taylor of Pasadena, officiating, and preaching to 
an interested congregation. The following Sunday the first converts, Mr. and 
Mrs. J. W. Cox were baptized, this being the first time the ordinance was ad- 
ministered. On December ist permanent organization was etTected and Rev. 
George Taylor became the pastor in charge. A. H. Wyant and S. S. Sprague 
were the first deacons and A. A. Bynon, J. W. Cox, F. Peaslee, W. E. Haskins,. 
J. B. Gofl:", were the first trustees. The first church clerk, T. R. Gabel, was then 
postmaster and station agent of the Los Angeles-Pacific road. His efficient ser- 
vicer, in the earlv history of the church were of great value. His promotion to 
the position of general manager of the electric road, removed a valuable member 
from this church. May 8th, 1902, the organization was incorporated and 
immediately purchased lots on the corner of Sixth street and Oregon avenue. 
On July 4th, 1902, Pastor Taylor hauled the first load of brick for the foundation 
from Inglewood in his buggy. Work was at once begun upon the structure 
which was completed and dedicated during the years. 

The church has steadily increased in strength and membership under the 
services of Rev. Taylor who is assisted ably by his wife and son, W. B. B. 
Tavlor. The present membership of the church is 144, of whom 26 have been 
received by baptism. 

Palms. 

Palms is located five miles east of Santa Monica on land formerly a part 
of La Ballona grant. In early days this section was used as grazing land for 
sheep and cattle by the Machados. After the building of the Los Angeles 
and Independence railway a section house was located here which was known 
as " Grasshopper station." In the seventies the store of Saenz & Higuera 
was established at wdiat is now First and Washington streets. Palms, and was 
known as the " Half-way house." Here a postoffice known as Machado was 
located for many years. This was the first business and is now the oldest 
business establishment of Palms. Mr. Saenz purchased a considerable tract 
of land in the vicinitv and was one of the first ranchers of the neighborhood. 
Other ranchers who located here in the later seventies or early eighties were 
Isaac Beyer, and George Rose, son of Anderson Rose, who was the first 
American settler on La Ballona and was, for many years, an extensive rancher, 
carrying on a large dairy farm and raising blooded stock. Enoch Griffin, 
George Charnock, Mrs. Eliza Hoke, Gilbert Kidson, Professor J. M. Coyner 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 353 

and other farmers located in this vicinity in the eighties. With the approach 
of the boom other lands were sold to newcomers and in 1887 Messrs. E. H. 
Sweetser and Joseph Curtis bought a tract of 560 acres and at once laid out 
the townsite of " Palms." They began making improvements and a local 
paper describes the situation thus: 

" The local of this paper the other day had a look at the ' Palms," an 
incipient town on the line of the S. P. road, some five miles from Santa 
Monica. It is no longer a misnomer as the proprietors have planted two 
large palms near the depot and some 160 plants on the various driveways. A 
force is grading the streets and we are told that it is the intention to plant all 
the avenues with shade trees of various kinds. The large reservoir which 
holds 150,000 gallons, is completed and a prospect hole has been sunk to test 
the water supply beneath the ground. A large quantity of water has been 
found and a well 6 by 10 feet will be dug, so as to place the pump near the 
water. A large steam pump will make it easy to lift the water up to the 
reservoir, which is placed on an elevation, from which there will be good 
pressure over the entire townsite. Quite a lot of property has been sold, and 
six houses, including a store room, have been built." 

A verv livelv real estate campaign followed. The Woman's Ballona 
Company was organized in May, 1888, to buy, improve and sell lands of the 
Palms district, the directors being Mrs. Ella L. Baxter, Miss Florence Dunham, 
Florence A. Barnes, ^Irs. Jane Pascoe and Mrs. Isabel Cook, all of Los Angeles. 
They had a capital stock of $14,400, but nothing is said of the amount actually 
paid in. Another woman's organization which was ambitious for those days 
was the " Woman's Palms Syndicate," which proposed to acquire, improve and 
sell certain lands in Palms and which numbered among its directors some 
well-known Los Angeles women of the time. 

Messrs. Sweetzer and Curtis were more successful in their promotion 
than many of the boomers of that day. They struck an abundant supply of 
water and the soil of the lands included in the townsite was responsive to water 
and labor. Mr. Curtis erected a handsome home which was soon surrounded 
by beautiful grounds. A school district was formed and a $10,000 school house 
was put up. A neat hotel, known for years as Palms Villa was built. This 
building is now the residence of Mr. E. M. Kimball. St. Augustin's, a pretty 
Catholic chapel, had been ]nit up in 1887 to accommodate the people of Ballona; 
a Congregational church was built and the I'nited Brethren erected a neat little 
church. The Southern Pacific added a neat depot for the thriving little settle- 
ment. Although the collapse of the boom retarded the growth of Palms, it 
did not cease to exist, like many other communities. 

In 1895 considerable improvement was made in the (piiet little town by 

23 





O. W. JEWETT. 



HISTORY OF SANTA MONICA BAY CITIES 355 

the erection of several new residences and an influx of new residents. About 
this time a rural delivery route was started out from Palms. One of the first 
agents was Mrs. George Lyons, who worked up a fine route. She was suc- 
ceeded by A. F. Bryant who extended the delivery system until it covered a 
route of twenty-five miles with a list of 800 patrons. The extension of Los 
Angeles city boundaries has materially affected the territory of the Palms 
postoffice, however. 

The building of a branch of the Los Angeles-Pacific road through Palms 
in 1902 gave new life to the town. Within a short time twenty new families 
had moved in and since that date progress has been rapid. The Palms Light 
and Water Company was incorporated with W. R. Wheat. C. N. Garev, M. 
R. King, A. J. Forbel. F. B. Clark, Jr., J. B. Valla, E. S. Shanks, as directors, 
and purchased a tract of 379 acres to furnish a water supply for domestic 
purposes and for irrigation. During igoi, F. E. Schueddig had begun on a 
small scale the manufacture of eucalyptus oil and produced a triple distilled 
article which was unequalled on the market. In 1906 he put up a new building 
for his manufactory, which is now shipping eucalyptus products to all parts 
of the United States. 

The year 1907 has been marked by a strong advance, a re-awakening, as 
it were, of the quiet village. Earl}' in January a Chamber of Commerce was 
organized with C. N. Gary, president ; S. C. Perrine, secretary ; Arthur J. 
Stinton, treasurer. January 22nd was a memorable day because of the ban- 
quet tendered the new organization by C. N. Gary, at the ship hotel. Cabrillo. 
A'enice. One hundred and seventy-two men sat down to the feast and listened 
to stirring talk on the future development of Palms. The Palms Nczvs, a 
neatly printed and lively sheet, sent out its first number December 22, 1906, 
S. C. Perrine and W. G. Rennie, proprietors. The paper is now printed in 
the establishment of King. Geach & Co.. which is doing a large job printing 
business. A neat one-story brick building has been erected for this companv 
and is now occupied by them as a printing plant. In August a branch of the 
Citizens State Bank of Sawtelle was opened in Palms, located first in the office 
of I. C. Butler, but on the completion of a handsome two-story brick building 
by the Woodmen of the World, the bank moved into a corner room especially 
arranged for its use. The building contains a fraternal hall and two store 
rooms beside a number of offices upstairs. Several other business buildings 
and a number of residences have been erected since the beginning of 1906. 




^m- 



EDWIN W. DIKE. 



Biographical. 



EDWIN W. DIKE, retired, a highly esteemed citizen of Santa Monica, 
is a native of Vermont, born in the town of Chittenden, Rutland County, 
February 10th, 1820. He is the son of Dan Dike, a native of the same 
town and a farmer by occupation, living there the greater portion of his life, sub- 
sequently removing to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he died at the age 
of about eighty-three years. The father of Dan Dike, Jonathan Alexander Dike, 
was a native of Tolland, Conn., and his father was a Revolutionary soldier. Mr. 
Dike's maternal grandfather w^as Thomas Mitchell, who lived at Taunton, Mass., 
then a suburb but now a part of the city of Boston. Mr. Dike's maternal great 
grandfather was a Howard by birth, a Scotchman, but by choice and instinct 
an American patriot. He was an active member of the historic "Boston Tea 
Partv" that indignantly threw overboard quantities of tea from a merchant 
vessel into the waters of Boston harbor in 1774 because of the arbitrary and un- 
just taxation of the English government. 

Edwin W. Dike was reared on the home farm, received an excelleni educa- 
tion in local public schools and finished at Burr Seminary, Manchester, Vt. 
From the farm he went into a general store at Brandon, Vt., where he spent 
four years and acquired a practical knowledge of business methods. Later he 
took up mechanics, became a wood and iron worker and held a responsible posi- 
tion in the shops of the Rutland & Burhngton Ry- Co. for six years, later became 
assistant master mechanic of the Burlington division of the same road for four 
years. He then purchased an interest in the Cove Machine Company, at Provi- 
dence, R. L, and assumed management of the same, making a specialty of the 
manufacture of calico printing and bleaching machinery. By reason of failing 
health he disposed of his interests and in 1857 came west to Faribault, Rice 
County, Minn., where, with the accumulations of past years of enterprise and 
industry, he embarked in the money loaning business. He also acted as pur- 
chasing agent for a Baltimore house, extensive exporters of ginseng to China and 
for them did a large business. The country was then new and infested with 
bands of hostile and warlike Sioux Indians. During the historic Indian uprisings 
throughout west and northwest Minnesota, in 1863 — in which ujjwards of seven 
hundred white men, women and children were massacred — Mr. Dike took an 
active part in the defense of the settlers and in the final punishment of the murder- 
ous savages. After the battle of Wood Lake, about four hundred of these Indians 
were taken as prisoners to Mankato and there tried by court martial. Two 



358 BIOGRAPHICAL 

hundred of them were convieted and condemned to death. After a careful and 
deliberate review of the case by President Lincoln, he decided that forty of them 
should be hung. By reason of extenuating circumstances two of the forty were 
finally reprieved, and Mr. Dike was appointed one of the citizen marshals to 
execute these thirty-eight Sioux warriors at Mankato. This unpleasant duty 
was promptly performed according to law. They were all hanged until dead at 
one and the same time from one gallows. 

Later, for a time, Mr. Dike assumed management of a flour mill, the property 
of a cousin. Major W. H. Dike — Major of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. 
He was a pioneer mill owner of the great west, and among the first to ship flour 
to the eastern markets from the State of Minnesota. In 1873 Mr. Dike w'as 
appointed Treasurer of the State of Minnesota by Governor Horace Austin 
to take the place of a defaulting treasurer, and removed to St. Paul, the state 
capital. Upon assuming charge of the state treasury, Mr. Dike evolved and put 
into use an entirely new^ system of bookkeeping, by which he was enabled to de- 
termine the nominal condition of the state finances at the close of each day's 
business and make technically accurate balances of all his accounts at the end 
of every month. These reports were published in the leading newspapers of the 
state. He was the first state treasurer to deposit the state's funds in national 
banks, receiving interest on daily balances, a new source of revenue to the state 
which, during his administration, amounted to about $9,600. 

At the time of the historic Jay Cook failure, which precipitated a financial 
panic throughout the country, Mr. Dike assured his bankers that the state's 
funds — upwards of three quarters of a million dollars — would remain with them 
on deposit. This declaration effectually restored confidence and safely held 
the impending crisis in check at St. Paul, the then financial center of the great 
Northwest. 

During his term of one year's incumbency by appointment, Mr. Dike inaugu- 
rated other salutary reforms and discharged the duties of the office with such 
marked ability and fidelity as to demand, by the people, his election to succeed 
himself. At the solicitation of his friends he ran as an independent candidate 
on an independent reform ticket and the following editorial paragraph that ap- 
peared in the St. Paul Daily Pioneer Press, published prior to holding the Repub- 
lican convention, expresses the sentiments published in many other leading news- 
papers throughout the state : 

"There seems to be a universal sentiment favoring Mr. E. W. Dike, the ])res- 
ent incumbent, for treasurer. He took possession of the office when its affairs 
were in a most disorganized condition, and when he was hampered by newly 
passed, untried and seemingly contradictory laws, and in a very short time brought 
order out of chaos. His sole desire seems to be to do his duty as he interprets 
this duty in the interests of the state and not to meet the exigencies of a spec- 
ulative relationship. The treasury needs the guidance of (what Mr. Dike is) 
an honest man. He has to a wonderful degree the confidence of the people and 



BIOGRAPHICAL 359 

we shall be greatly disappointed in the wisdom and good sense of the Convention 
if it fails to nominate him by acclamation. No name could add more strength 
to the ticket." 

Mr. Dike's friends loyally supported him, ])urely by the reason of the en- 
viable record he had made as a faithful and able- public servant, for his strict 
integrity and his splendid personality. After one of the most momentous and 
memorable campaigns in the history of the state, he was elected over his Repub- 
lican opponent by a majority of four thousand votes, while the balance of the 
Republican ticket was elected by a majority of eight thousand. This was a 
great personal triumph for Mr. Dike. He served under the administration of 
three governors of Minnesota — Horace Austin, Cushman K. Davis and John S. 
Pillsbury. 

During his incumbency as state treasurer, Mr. Dike married Mrs. Julia C. 
Smith, ncc Robinson, of Woodstock, 111., a daughter of David W. Robinson, 
a prominent citizen of that city. She is a lady of charming social attainments 
and foremost in all worthy charitable work. They resided in Woodstock from 
1876 to 1899. In 1883 Mr. Dike was appointed by President Arthur one of three 
United States Commissioners to inspect the western one hundred and fifty miles 
of the Santa Fe Railroad, then terminating at Needles, California. After per- 
forming this duty, he traveled somewhat in the state, visiting Los Angeles, 
San Diego, San Francisco and other cities. He returned to Woodstock and there 
remained until 1899 and in 1900 he permanently came to Santa Monica, where 
he has made substantial investments. He is a stockholder in the Santa Monica 
Investment Co., one of the strong financial institutions of the city and is (1908) 
its vice president. 

Mr. Dike is a man of high ideals and strong personality inherited from a 
sturdy ancestry that dates back to the early history of this country, and rounded 
out by a long and eventful career of individual endeavor. He is one of Santa 
Monica's most substantial and loyal citizens. Hale and hearty at the age of 
eighty-eight, he has retired from active business and enjoys the personal confi- 
dence and esteem of a wide circle of friends. Mrs. Dike is active in social and club 
circles and lends her influence to all worthy charitable movements. Their 
home, Violet Cottage, is one of the many pretty residences of Santa Monica, 
and is located at No. 1138 Third vStreet. 



Joseph H. Clark was born in Corning, N. Y., and there grew to vigorous 
young manhood, forming the foundation of what was destined to be a brilliant 
business career. Feeling that his native town did not offer sufficient induce- 
ments to a young man starting out in life, Mr. Clark sought a broader field for 
his labors, and removed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, which place has been the 
scene of his active business career. Beginning with less than two hundred dollars 
in cash, Mr. Clark, through unremitting industry, rare good judgment and in- 



360 UIUGRAPHICAL 

sight into affairs of a business nature, amassed a considerable fortune in a com- 
]iaratively short period of time. He became closely connected with several 
of the banks, also the great milling corjiorations of the city. He was one of 

the organizers of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and retained his mem- 
bership in this institution until his removal from Minneapolis. 

Mr. Clark retired from active business life in 1892 and became a resident 
of Santa Monica in 1894 where he and his family have since resided, having built 
a home on the corner of Fifth Street and Nevada Avenue. 

He has always taken a strong interest in the welfare of Santa Monica. It 
was through his, and Mrs. Clark's efforts, that the Carnegie Free Public Library 
was secured and located on the corner of Fifth Street and Oregon Avenue in 
1903. Mr. Clark placed a fine Esty pipe organ in the First Presbyterian Church 
corner of Third Street and Arizona Avenue, in 1907, in memory of his son. He 
is one of the stockholders and directors of the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance 
Company, of Los Angeles. 



Archie F. Johnston, late a prominent and successful merchant, Santa 
Monica, was a native of Pittsburg, Pa., born January 12th, 1863, a son of John 
AL Johnston, a farmer by occupation, now^ retired from active business. His 
mother was Mary A. Forrister, a daughter of Archibald Forrister, of Edinburgh, 
Scotland. He was a shipbuilder by trade in Pittsburg, Pa., with a home at 
Bakerstown, then a suburb, where the subject of this sketch was born. About 
1873 the family moved to Peoria, 111., and near that city owned and lived on 
what was known as the Hickorj^ Grove Farm. They came to California in April, 
1886 and located in Santa Monica. Here Mr. Johnston found employment as 
salesman for H. A. Winslow, who was then engaged in the grocery business. 
Later he became manager for Mrs. M. E. Chapin who was, for several years, 
a leading merchant of Santa Monica. He occupied this position for seven years 
and then, associated with Mr. George Baum, purchased the business. This 
business was conducted for two years under the firm name of Johnston & Baum. 
In 1900, Mr. Johnston became sole owner and as such built up an extensive 
and profitable business. In September, 1906, the concern was incorporated 
as the A. F. Johnston Company, of which Mr. Johnston was president, C. W. 
Rogers, \-ice president; Harry Cowles, secretary. The firm removed to the 
Johnston Building, Mr. Johnston's personal property, in January, 1906. 

By reason of impaired health, incident to many years of close attenlion to 
business, Mr. Johnston at this time practically retired from active management 
of the company's affairs and indulged in a needed rest. In March, 1908. he 
left home to make a trip into Josephine County, Oregon, to look after some 
acquired mining interests. While nearing his journey's end, in crossing the 
lapids of the Illinois River, the boat became unmanageable, capsized and he 
met an untimely death by drowning. The sad intelligence of this catastrophe 
reached the family the following day and greatly shocked the entire community 



PJOGRAPHICAL 3,51 

where he was so widely and popularly kno^^n. After a most dili^^ent seareh 
for just a month his body was recovered, but in such a condition a^s to render 
bunal at home impossible. In the death of Archie F. Johnston. Santa Monica 
sustiancd a loss of one of her most substantial, popular and useful citizens- 
a loss which, at the time, seemed irreparable. 

In 1890 Air. Johnston married Miss Katherine I., a daughter of Thomas 
Elliott, one of Santa Monica's best known and highly respected pioneers Mr 
Johnston assiduously devoted himself to the building up of a very substantial 
business and a comfortable estate. His social temperament, courteous manner 
and keen sense of honor made his friends legion and extended his popularity 
as a merchant and citizen. For four years, from 1 903 to 1907, inclusive he served 
on the Santa Monica City Board of Trustees and ,,roved a most energetic, faith- 
ful and progressive servant of the people, his policy and efforts meeting the 
unquahhed and hearty endorsement of the public. Mr. Johnston was a charter 
member of the B. P. O. E. and of the K. of P., Santa Monica lodges. He was 
a meiBber of the Modern Woodmen of America, Fraternal Brotherhood and 
Maccabees. He was also an active and influential member of the Santa Monica 
Board of Trade. 



George H. Hutton, Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Califomia 
in and for Los Angeles County, elected in November, 1906, is a product of 
the frigid north where his childhood was spent as a ward of his uncle. Reverend 
George H. Bridgman, President of Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota at 
which mstitution he received his academic education. At the State University 
of Minnesota he received his legal education and was from there admitted to 
practice m 1893 and the same year became the assistant attornev or <.ener.] 
trial lawyer for the Minneapolis & St. Paul Railroad, which position he held until 
his removal to California m 1897, when he located and engaged in the practice 
of his profession at Santa Monica. He had, up to the time of his elevation to 
the bench, been actively engaged in his profession and had attained more than 
ordinary success as a lawyer, being widely known m Los Angeles County and 
hroughout Southern California. He was for several yearo the general attornev 
for the vast and varied interests of Ex-Senator John P. Jones, and attornev and 
trustee under the will of the late Andrew J. W. Keating, who left a fortune 
which during Judge Hutton 's trusteeship has increased in bulk from less than a 
quarter million to nearly two million dollars. 

He has been an extensive traveler and knows the American continent better 
than most men and is at home anywhere from Alaska, where he caught trout • to 
Washmgton, D. C, where he has appeared as attornev before the United States 
Supreme Court. 

He believes in the great west, its present and future and has contributed to 
\anoLS well known western magazines and other publications-to Out West, 



362 BIOGRAPHICAL 

The West Coast, Pacific Monthly — his favorite themes being "CaHfornia Missions," 
"Early Religions," "Education" and "Agriculture." He is a public speaker of 
note and his oration at the funeral of Senator Patton, at Ocean Park, in December 
of 1906, was a classic in all that the word implies. 

He is a prominent member of the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias 
and the Elks ; of religious and public spirit, ever ready to give his energetic support 
to any movement tending to the betterment of improvement of the religious, 
moral and municipal conditions of the community. 

Judge Hutton possesses ability, dignity, firmness and courage, and is clear 
and direct in his statements ; his decisions are well considered and he has by these 
qualities and his uniform courtesy and patience earned the good will and confi- 
dence of the members of Los Angeles bar; while on the bench he is quiet and 
reserved and conducts his court with dignity. In chambers he is genial, cordial 
and approachable and in private life social and friendly. He will be thirty-seven 
years old August 5th of this year (1907). 

In 1897 he was united in marriage to Dolores Egleston, a daughter of S. J. 
Egleston, one of the founders of the City of Spencer, Clay County, Iowa. They 
have one son, George Robert Egleston Hutton, eight years old, the pride of his 
parents and the central attraction of a home that Judge Hutton finds to be the 
brightest spot on earth and where he spends his leisure hours to the exclusion of 
society or politics. He is a man of stern and strict habits whose life is dominated 
by two leading desires — first, to enjoy his home and family and second, to succeed 
in his profession. He is possessed of a most unusual memory and rarely forgets 
the doctrine of an} case he has once studied. Since his elevation to the bench 
he has impressed the bar and the public with his persistent and untiring diligence, 
with his keen analysis of facts, his clear perception of the truth and his tireless 
search for every possible legal principle that might aid him in reaching a correct 
and accurate conclusion 



Rev. Patrick Hawe, parish priest of Santa Monica, was born at the home 
farm of John and Bridget (Feehan) Hawe, County Kilkenny, Ireland, in the 
year 1847, one of seven children. At sixteen years 'of age he was sent to the 
Classical Academy of the Carmelites, from which he graduated three years later. 
He then took a five years' course of study in All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland, 
and graduated from the Department of Philosophy and Theology in the year 
1872. The ordination service consecrating him to the priesthood took place 
June 24th, 1872, at All Hallows and was presided over by Bishop Whalen, Bishop 
of Bombay, India. He came at once to California and was appointed to the 
diocese of Monterey and Los Angeles. For two months he assisted in the San 
Bernardino parish and for a year following was stationed at San Buena Ventura, 
followed by one year in the parish of San Luis Obispo. Subsequently, he spent 
nine years under the late lamented Father Joaquin Adam, V. G., at the Church 



BIOGRAPHICAL 363 

of the Holy Cross, Santa Cruz. After a year as assistant to Father Villa, at 
Santa Barbara, he returned to San Bernardino for a similar period. From there 
he was stationed at St. Boniface parish, Anaheim, and while here erected the 
parochial residence. In May, 1886, he was appointed rector at Santa Monica 
church. Santa Monica was, at that time, a small town of about nine hundred 
people and the church had never had a resident priest, the work having been 
sustained by itinerant priests. Under Father Hawe's ministrations the parish 
has become one of thrift and importance. He has made material improvements 
in the church edifice, and he built the present parochial residence. The splendid 
Academy of the Holy Names was built in 1900 and dedicated February 22nd, 
1901. In 1886, the parish at the Palms was organized and the present church 
edifice was erected by Father Hawe. He attended to the needs of the con- 
gregation until 1904, when it was made a mission church of the new parish of 
Ocean Park, of which Rev. M. L. Hennesy is rector. Father Hawe also held 
services at the Soldiers' Home in the early days of that institution, meeting in 
the old Assembly Hall. Later he effected a church organization there and 
erected a church edifice with funds supplied by the government. In the summer 
of 1902, Father Hawe held the first Catholic services at Ocean Park. Having no 
church edifice his people convened in the then Kinney Hall. In 1904 he built 
the present spacious and imposing church, and upon its completion placed it 
under the control of Rev. M. L. Hennesy, who organized the parish. Thus 
Father Hawe has devoted the best thirty -six years of his life to the spiritual 
uplifting and well being of his people in and about Santa Monica where he has 
drawn about himself a wide circle of friends. 



Charles E. Towner, one of the active, well known and successful pioneers 
of Santa Monica, is a native of Michigan, born at Homer, December 2nd, 1849. 
His father was John M. Towner, a native of North Adams, Berkshire County, 
Mass., and his m.other was Emily D. Robinson, born and reared in the Green 
Mountains of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Towner raised a family of five children — 
Henry C, born at Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, N. Y., May 2nd, 1842 ; entered 
United States army in 1862 from Manhattan, Kansas, served in Trans-AIississippi 
Department, came to California in 1883 and is now a resident of Towner Heights. 
William E., born at Ballston Spa, N. Y., November 28th, 1843, entered U. S. 
Army in 1862, served in Trans-Mississippi Department; died in Kansas City 
in 1897. Mary E., born at Homer, Michigan, January 19th, 1846, died, single, 
at Santa Monica, in 1898. H. D., born at Batavia, Kane County, 111., August 
8th, 1852, now residing in Oklahoma. 

Charles E. Towner, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth of the family. 
He was born at Homer, Michigan, December 2nd, 1849. From 1851 to 1860 
the family lived at Batavia, 111., and then came west to Kansas where they lived 
at Manhattan until 1878 when thev removed to Colorado, locating on the Platte 



364 lUOGRAPHlCAL 

Ri\-er at Buffalo Station — about forty miles west of Denver on the Rio Grande 
Railway. Here they lived until 1883 and then came to Santa Monica. Mr. 
Towner bought twenty acres of land of Judge Lucas which he improved and sold. 
Later he purchased twenty-four acres in the same vicinity at $300.00 an acre, 
which was regarded at that time as a fair price. In 1903 he, in company with 
W. A. Erwin, purchased three hundred acres of land comprising what is now 
known as ErAvin Heights, promoted the Erwin Heights Land & Water Company, 
developed water in abundance, laid about twelve miles of water pipe and platted 
Erwin Heights. Mr. Towner also platted and piped water for the Towner 
Terrace Tract, of about one hundred acres, and made other substantial improve- 
ments. Mr. Towner was the tirst settler in this now delightful terrace country 
and has ever been in the lead in the matter of local improvements. This country 
was originally open and devoid of trees and foliage of any kind, whereas the broad 
avenues are all lined on either side with tall and stately shade trees, the result 
of Mr. Towner's personal energy and artistic thrift, which makes Towner Terrace 
one of the most attractive and homelike residence tracts on the coast. Of the 
Towner Terrace, about one-half is sold off, and a large amount of money has 
been expended on streets and water system. Mr. Towner has associated with 
him other men of large capital and experience in the development of this 
enterprise. 

The present Mrs. Towner was Mary E., a daughter of Robert Dobson, 
a California pioneer and resident of Towner Terrace. Mr. and Mrs. Towner 
have one son. Cherles E. Jr. Mr. Towner has two children by a former marriage 
C. C. Towner, I^istrict Attorney at Abilene, Kansas, and Mrs. Daisy B. Stroup, 
of Santa Monica, California. 

General William E. Towner, the progenitor of this branch of the Towners, 
was born in Massachusetts in 1758. He studied for a physician and served as 
assistant surgeon and surgeon in Washington's army in the Revolution. He 
afterwards settled in North Adams, Mass., and married Lurana Chadwick, 
mother to Charles E. Towner's father. He was successively Justice of the Peace, 
physician. Brigadier General of Massachusetts Militia, and, in 1812, was appointed 
Major General of Massachusetts troops. He would have taken the field in 1813 
but was taken sick and died at Pownall, Vermont, January 12th, 1813. 



W. E. Sawtelle, a quiet and genial citizen of the city that, by reason 
of his unic^ue personality and popularity took unto itself his name, is a native of 
the town of Norridgewock, Maine, and WcS born August, 1850. His ancestors 
were Hueguenots who fled from France upon the revocation of the Edict of Nantes 
and sought refuge in England. Later generations came to America and became 
pioneers of Massachusetts. Richard Sawtelle was a native of Groton, Mass. 
Closely following the American Revolution he settled in Norridgewock, Somerset 
County, Maine, when that country was a virgin forest dominated by Indians. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 365 

George Sawtelle was a son of Richard, and was born and grew up at Norridgewock. 
He became a merchant and man of affairs in his native town where he was for 
about twenty years postmaster, having received his appointment of President 
Lincoln in 186L He there married Sarah Peet, who was also a native of Norridge- 
wock. She was a daughter of Rev. Josiah Peet, a minister of the Congregational 
Church. George and Sarah Sawtelle had three sons and a daughter. One son 
Dr. F. G. Sawtelle, is a prominent physician of Providence, R. I. He served in 
the Union Army during the Civil War as a member of the Third Maine Battery. 
F. J. Sawtelle is an architect and lives at Providence, R. I. The daughter is 
Mrs. M. S. Hopkins, who lives in the old homestead at Norridgewock, Maine. 

W. E. Sawtelle grew up at Norridgewock and at nineteen years of age went 
to Worcester, Mass. , and became a member of the mercantile firm of The Sanford- 
Sawtelle Company, dealers in books and manufacturers of blank books, the busi- 
ness having been founded in 1835. It was one of the oldest established houses 
of that wealthy old city. He was associated with this concern for a period of 
about twenty -seven years. 

Mr. Sawtelle married Miss Mary Wheeler and they have two daughters, 
Katherine and Barbara. In 1896 Mr. Sawtelle, with his family, came to Califor- 
nia. In 1899 Mr. Sawtelle became part owner and an officer of the Pacific Land 
Company, the promoters of the then embryo town of Barrett Villa. Mr. Sawtelle 
assumed the business management of the new enterprise and by reason of his 
splendid qualities of mind and heart became exceedingly popular with the people. 
He was soon elected president of his company. He organized and was made 
president of the Sawtelle Water Company, and in fine was ever alert for the pro- 
motion of any and all enterprises looking to the betterment of his city. 

In the year 1900 application to the United States postal authorities was 
made for the establishment of a postoffice at Barrett. The name being so similar 
to that of Bassett P. O. in this state, the department wished another name, and 
the wishes of its people centered on their chief citizen as a fitting evidence of the 
high esteem in which he was held. 



William Jackson, one of the early pioneers of Santa Monica, was born 
in Yorkshire, England, September 2 7th, 1852. He was a son of Richard Jackson, 
a tailor by trade and occupation. He came to America in the year 1855 and 
located about forty miles northeast of Toronto, Canada, in the town of Peel. 
Later the family went to Detroit, Michigan, where the father died leaving the 
widow and two sons of whom William was the youngest. They soon thereafter 
went to Oil City, Penna., where Mrs. Jackson married John A. Donald, a Scotch- 
man who in 1875, with the family came to Santa Monica. At the auction sale 
of lots in the then new townsite, young Jackson purchased Lot S., Block 194, 
now No. 134 North Fifth Street (old number) and still owns the same. He also 
owns five acres of the Old Lucas Tract on Front, now Fremont Street, opposite 



366 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Twelfth, which is his present lionie, one of the most sightly and pleasant family 
homes in the city. 

John A. Donald became a well known and useful citizen of Santa Monica. 
From 187 7 to 1883 he was the efficient local agent for the Jones & Baker interests. 
He died in 1886, highly respected and lamented by a wide circle of friends and 
business acquaintances. Mrs. Donald survived until 1899. 

Mr. Jackson married in Santa Monica in 1891, Miss Amy, a daughtei of 
R. D. Saunders, now of the Los Angeles 'fiuics editorial staff, and they have 
one daughter, Dorothy S., an efficient teacher in the Santa Monica public schools 
and two sons Lawrence R. and Leland W. Mr. Jackson took an active part 
in local affairs of the new town of Santa Monica. He may be regarded as one 
of the founders of the first fire department of the town, since he and the late 
Robert Eckert agitated the subject for nearly two years and finally induced the 
city trustees to provide a hose cart and a hook and ladder truck. The first fire 
company was duly organized with twenty-two volunteers who served without 
pay. Mr. Jackson is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 



George D. Snyder. The history of the Santa Monica Bay cities would 
not be regarded as complete without including a brief sketch at least of the 
life of George D. Snyder, who for more than two decades has been one of the 
most enterprising and successful citizens of the Bay Coast country. 

Mr. Snyder is a descendant of Holland Dutch ancestors who emigrated to 
America at a time antedating the Revolutionary War, settled in New Jersey, 
and later removed to Seneca County, New York. The head of this family was 
George W. Snyder. Duiing the war w4th England he served as a scout under 
General Washington and endured many hardships. 

Porter Snyder, a son of George W. Snyder, was born in Seneca County, 
New York, was there engaged in farming and wdiile still a young man, moved 
to Calhoun, Michigan, located new land, which he improved, and also engaged 
in the building bu-siness at Marshall. He also served one term as sheriff of Calhoun 
County. At the time of his death he was sixty-two years of age. After the 
death of his first wife (by whom he had two sons now living) he married Sarah 
Jane Eddy, a native of Calhoun County, Michigan, still living in Marshall. 
In the family of Porter and Sarah Jane Snyder were three sons and one daughter. 
Two of the sons — George D., the subject of this sketch, and W. P., are contractors 
at Ocean Park, California. 

George D. Snyder was born near Marshall, Michigan, April 12th, 1859. 
In boyhood he learned the carpenter's trade in the shops of the Michigan Central 
Railroad. Later he followed mill-wrighting until 1886, when he came to Califor- 
nia and entered the employ of the Southern California Ry. Co. as foreman in 
their building department, having charge of repair work and erection of build- 
ings. Later he was made storekeeper for the track, bridge and building depart- 
ments with headquarters in San Bernardino. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 367 

After the great strike of 1894 he resigned his position and removed to Los 
Angeles to take up general contracting and building. In 1899 he located at 
Ocean Park, then known as South Santa Monica, and entered actively into Ijuild- 
ing and became associated with various public movements for the development 
and building up of that now beautiful section of Santa Monica city. He has 
erected upwards of four hundred and twenty-five cottages, lesidences and other 
buildings, forty-five of which were built in 1901. During that year he also erected 
the Hotel Savoy, then the Holborrow Hotel at a cost of $10,000, closing the work 
in twenty-four days, with forty-eight men on the job the last week. The rapidity 
and thoroughness of the work elicited general comment as a "record breaker." 
His efficiency and thoroughness has brought to him an extensive business. Fre- 
quently he is called to Los Angeles and other cities to erect houses and public 
buildings. Mr. Snyder is gifted with a true mechanical genius and masters 
the various complicated problems of his work without difficulty. He is his 
own architect, a fact which enables him to give his work a character and indivi- 
duality that puts it, in a measure, in a class by itself. 

Mr. Snyder was married in Jackson, Michigan, to Miss Jennie C. Keeler. 
July 11th, 1883, a native of Racine, Wis., and they have two children. Alma 
and Clyde. Although his father was a Democrat, Mr. Snyder has from earliest 
manhood affiliated with the Republican party, his first ballot being in support 
of Republican men and measures. This seems natural since his first vote was cast 
within a stone's throw of the old oak at Jackson, Michigan, under the wide-spread- 
ing boughs of which the Republican party was organized. Mr. Snyder's interest 
in public affairs has manifested itself in every community where he has made 
his home, having served on local political committees and as a delegate to various 
political conventions and has done much to advance the interests of his party. 
He was made a candidate for the office of Trustee of Santa Monica city by an 
aggressive constituency and failed of election by a margin of four votes. In 
1907 he was nominated for councilman of the First Ward under the new Free- 
holder's Charter, and was elected by a good majority. 

His varied and practical experience in local public affairs is appreciated by 
his official colleagues and he is serving on the Council Committees of Railroads, 
Wharves and Bridges, Judiciary and Ordinances, and Buildings. 

Mr. Snyder is a member of the I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W., Maccabees, K. of P., 
Elks, Pythian Sisters. He is a member of the Santa Monica Board of Trade, 
and one of the Executive Committee. 



William I. Hull, who is one of the most active and influential citizens 
of Santa Monica, is a native. of Lynn County, Oregon, born December 4th, 1859. 
His father, Nathan Hull, was a public school teacher by profession, upwards 
of thirty years of his life being given to the work. He was born in Cattaraugus 
County, New York, August 2nd, 1823. He came to California as early as 1852 



368 BIOGRAPHICAL 

and mined in the plaeer gold diggings of the central part of the state and like- 
wise in the bed of the American River, in which he was moderately successful. 
In 1853 he emigrated to Oregon, locating in Lynn County, where he pursued 
his profession, held the office of County Superintendent of Schools and also en- 
gaged in farming. He there married Miss Nancy Stillwell, who was a native 
of Indiana; she came west at eighteen years of age, an orjjhan, to live with a 
sister. In 1876 the family removed to Inyo County, California, purchased a 
farm, and located near the town of Bishop. There Mr. Hull founded and served 
as president of the first corporation organized to take water out of the Owens 
River for irrigating purposes, which enterprise has developed into the most suc- 
cessful system in the Owens River Valley. He owned a transit and made his 
own suiveys. In 1884 he removed to Los Angeles where he purchased a ranch 
on Alameda Street, adjoining the city limits to the south; there he died in 1891 
at sixty-eight years of age. He was a man of great energy; while possessing 
strong religious convictions he was not a member of any church. He had ten 
children, of whom William I. is the fourth and oldest living. 

Up to sixteen years of age William I. lived in Oregon and enjoyed the 
advantages of good schooling. In 1882 he came to Los Angeles where he found 
employment with Northcraft & Clark, furniture dealers. In 1884 he came to 
Santa Monica and embarked in business for himself, furnishing tents and 
camp supplies. This business he pursued about two years. In 1886 he built 
a bath house on the ocean front at the foot of Colorado Avenue, known as Cen- 
tral Bath, which he sold a year later. During the real estate boom of 1887 
he bought and sold real estate, handling only his own property. In 1891 he 
purchased of J. L. Allen what was the nucleus to his present extensive furniture 
business. It was a small store on Third Street, between Utah and Arizona 
Avenues, having about 1500 feet of floor space. Mr. Hull has been continuously 
in the business from that date and now has a veritable emporium in the two 
story W. C. T. U. Building, 1429 Third Street, with over 8000 feet of floor space 
and 15,000 feet of floor space in buildings of his situated at 1517-1521 Third 
Street, embracing an extensive stock of house furnishing goods of nearly all 
descriptions. 

In 1888 Mr. Hull married Mary A., a daughter of Thomas H. Elliott, one 
of Santa Monica's esteemed pioneers. (See index.) Mr. and Mrs. Hull have 
two sons, Francis E. and Walter I. An only daughter, Grace, died in 1903 at 
five years of age. 

It is safe to say that no citizen of Santa Monica has been miore intimately 
in touch with the civic, business and social development of the city than has 
Mr. Hull. He has always taken a personal interest in municipal affairs and has 
ever been found on the side of clean government. By instinct and training a 
temperance man, he has stood for principles advanced by the National Prohibi- 
tion Party and has opposed the saloon on general ])rinci])les as a menace to good 
society and |)ul)lic morals and has, therefore, worked in harmony with :;11 move- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



369 



ments to regu ate the local liquor traffic. When Mr. Hull came to Santa Monica 

. was a small town of about 300 people, supporting twelve saloons , is or 
l,e cmzen of the beaut.ful city of today to say whether or not organized opposi 
.on to saloons and r.gid regulation of the same by fostering a strong pubHc 

temperance sent.ment ,s a good thmg for a growing community. ^ ' 

When called by his party to stand for public office, Mr. Hull has accented 

the role that he deems the duty of every American citizen, and was mTde he 

mf iVHuir'T' '°%'':'"" ^^"""^ ■" '""^ ^"^ '>^« state Senate „ 
904. Mr. Hull was one of the organizers of the first city fire department in 

889 and served as president of the organ.zat.on about fifteen years. He r 

e 'reT;"";:'™"^ '? °' *^ '^^P^^*"™* » '''•^ ^P""« °f •'<"■ '-dering 
Mr Hunt 7« " " "■"" --ecognition of long terms of faithful service 

Mr^ Hull has served five years as a men,ber of the City Library Board of Trustees 
and was president of the Board from 1 90J to 1 907 ^ 

allianl' 'afT/ "" °''^'"""' °^ *"' ^'"'" ^'""'^^ ^oard of Trade, which is an 
a hance of afzens representmg the leading business and commercial interests 
of the cuy havmg at heart the public weal, civ.c and otherwise, and has Teen 
f'or:u2°offi'' "°?^"'"' '°'"' '"-^ >-^"^- -^'^ """ '-^ -ver been a se ler 

seemed 1 caf of ZTV' ' ™'' *° "'"''^ "" "^'' ^^"^^- '" -^P°»- '» ->-* 
thT I M nt'^' " ''''™' ^ candidate for mayor of Santa Monica under 

W thTvo r IZ °' ' '°' •""' ^™^ '°y^"^ ^"PP-'^^ '^-- - '-g^ consftuency. 
W.th tuo other candidates in the field, he failed of election by 107 votes hL 

dZe?h-s *V """^ "'' "^'^ "P°" ^ P'^*f°-^ -'™h clearlv and frankh- 
defined his position upon questions of public expediency that were made issues 
of the campaign, which was dignified and noticeably free from the average 
pohtical bickerings and invidious personalities average 

Mr. Hull is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and has served 

He i c" H T T'Z ":;' ' '''" P'"°^ °' '™^ «= "'g'^ Auditor of the State, 
oorter of r ^^P'^^f tl^'^y-six years standing and has been an active sup- 
porter of the work of the local lodge. He is very active in the Grand Lodge of 

of sfnt M " °' u" ^""'"^^ ^°'™'""«^ f- -^"y >-— No cifizen 

JJZl T' ™, '""' '"^""' ''^''" °' ^""^ A""'^^" citizenship and more 
nearly succeeds in living up to those ideals than W. I. Hull. He is essentially 

Lride r?7 "f """"^ '"' '"^^y-f™-- y^^''-^ --"idence in Santa Monica ha's 
been ide„.it:ed v ith every pu blic movem ent for the city's upbuilding and growth. 

head'lf h^s Hamilto.m.M. °-. ™'= °f Santa Monica's leading citizens, at the 
?7^h L.l ^'°^''''°"' '' ^ "«*'^'= °f Mi-^Wsan and was born at Ann Arbor, Feb. 
1 Id Orel; f «f^' i" '«54, removed to Winona, Minne.:ota, and here the 

a d retur H 7 r , """' ^""^'^ ''"'°"^'' '^' S''^™"'" ^"^ ^gh schools 

o the M T n ' '" °' '" "■■"' ""^ P^^^^d "'"'"gh the Medical College 

a he R ;'°m" , "'.T,','^- "' ™t,sequently took a thorough course of study 
at the Ru.sh .Medical College, Chicago, now the Medical Department of Chicaoo 



370 BIOGRAPHICAL 

University, from which institution he graduated in 1877 and almost immediately 
entered upon the practice of his profession at Grafton — a new settlement in North 
Dakota. The country rapidly increased in population and wealth and Grafton 
became a populous and very prosperous young city and Dr. Hamilton there built 
up an extensive practice. He remained at Grafton until 1893 and became 
thoroughly identified wdth the civic, industrial and political interests of the 
community. He was for fourteen years President of the United States Board 
of Examining Surgeons for soldiers' pensions and for a similar period held the 
office of County Physician. For two years he served his County as Coroner; 
for four years he was a member of the examining board for the insane, and nine 
years w^as secretary and superintendent of the County Board of Health. He was 
the first Vice President of the North Dakota State Medical Society, and served 
as District Surgeon for the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railway Com- 
panies. The multiplicities of his duties and demands of his profession, coupled 
with the rigors of that northern climate, made such inroads upon his health that 
he found it necessary to make a change of location and accordingly came to Cali- 
fornia and located at Santa Monica in September, 1893. 

Dr. Hamilton's name in his adopted city stands for all that is good, progressive 
and right at all times and under all conditions. Aside from the duties of an exten- 
sive medical practice, he is District Surgeon of the Southern Pacific Railway 
Co., medical examiner for all the old line insurance companies in Southern Califor- 
nia, and acts in the same capacity for the fraternal insurance organizations. He 
is one of the organizers of the Santa Monica Bay Hospital Company, and is presi- 
dent of the company ; a history of which splendid enterprise may be found else- 
where in this work. 

Dr. Hamilton is a member of long standing of the American Medical Asso- 
ciation, the largest association of prominent physicians in the world. He 
is also a member of the California State Medical Society and the Los Angeles 
County Medical Association. Despite his engrossing professional and business 
cares he has also actively identified himself with some of the leading fraternities. 
He is a Royal Arch Mason, a member of the Commandery and the Mystic Shrine 
and affiliated with Santa Monica Lodge, No. 307, F. and A. M., Chapter and Com- 
mandery, and Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Los Angeles. He is 
also member of the Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias and the Independent 
Order of Foresters of Santa Monica. He is a director in the Western Masons 
Mutual Life Association of Los Angeles and maintains a deep interest in its wel- 
fare. Dr. Hamilton is an almost life long Republican, an active and influential 
member of the Presbyterian church. 

Dr. Hamilton was married October 21st, 1887, to Miss Bertha R. Crookston, 
a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they have three daughters — Helen, Clara 
and Esther. 

The family residence. No. 522 North Fifth Street, is one of the finest of the 
many beautiful homes in Santa Monica City. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



371 



Myron H. Kimball, well known in Santa Monica and Los Angeles as a sub- 
stantial and staid pioneer, was one of the earliest denizens of the Angel City to 
discover the beauties and desirability 
of Santa Monica by the sea as a place 
for retirement, in which to spend 
the declining years of a business life. 

He is a native of Oneida County, 
N. Y., born in the town of Verona, 
September 13th, 1827. His father, 
David Kimball, was a native of New 
Hampshire, a contractor and builder. 
He came west in 1837, and located in 
Monroe County, Michigan, and for 
many years was in the employ of 
the Michigan Southern Ry., as a 
bridge builder. He later retired to 
his farm neai Adrian, Michigan, where 
he spent many active years of his 
life, and finally returned to Oneida, 
N. Y., where he died at seventy- 
three years of age. Young Myron, 
early in youth, acquired a burning 
desire to see the world and lead a 
free and independent life and accord- 
ingly at ten years of age left home 

and obtained a situation in a grocery store at Toledo, Ohio, which was then a 
small town of about fifteen hundred people. He remained there about seven 
years and in 1844 went to Lafayette, Ind., where he clerked in a general store. 
His employer's father. Captain Brayton, was owner of a steamboat that navigated 
the Wabash River between Lafayette and Terre Haute, and young Kimball, 
then seventeen years old, was offered, and accepted, a position as clerk on the 
steamer and at times was its commander. He then went to Cincinnati and 
traveled from that city as a salesman for a wholesale tea and tobacco house. 
He made his way east to New York city, via Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis. 
He spent about five years in and out of the city of Cincinnati. The art of making 
Daguerreotype pictures had just been perfected, the beauty and utility of which 
appealed to young Kimball as at once a most attractive and practical means of 
making money and he placed himself under a thorough course of training and 
mastered the art. The year 1853 found him again in New York City as World's 
Fair correspondent of the Philadelphia Enquirer. This was the first World's 
Fair that ever took place on the American continent and was held in the famous 
Crystal Palace, erected for the purpose on ground now occupied by a public 




MYRON n. KIMBALL. 



Z72 BIOGRAPHICAL 

stjuare at Sixth Avenue and Forty-first and F'orty-second Streets. Mr. Kimball 
spent six months at the Crystal Palace and his descriptive articles so widely 
portrayed the wonders of the great fair as to bring to the Enquirer an extended 
reputation and wide popularity, for which he was liberally compensated. 

While a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Kimball took a course of instruction 
in th? new art of Daguerreotype picture making from E. C. Hawkins, a pupil of 
Samuel F. Morse, the inventor of telegraphy. Mr. Morse had obtained a know- 
ledge of the art from Daguerre himself while on a visit to exhibit his own wonderful 
invention. After relinquishing his duties as correspondent to the Enquirer, 
Mr. Kimball opened a picture gallery in New York City, on Broadway near Canal 
Street, where he promptly built up a profitable business. The Deguerreotype 
proved, however, to be only the forerunner of something better, as Mr. Kimball 
and others were quietly experimenting along lines that eventually produced a 
superior picture, known as the Amhrotype and superseded its predecessor. 
About this time the photographic pictuie process made its appearance and Mr. 
Kimball was one of the first to adopt and introduce it in New York. He sold his 
gallery and opened on a much more extended scale as No. 477 Broadway, near 
Broome Street, which was then in the heart of the uptown business center of 
the city. He did business there about five years. 

The Civil War had broken out in 1860. In 1863 Mr. Kimball was employed 
as a government photographer at Port Royal, South Carolina, and Jones Island 
in front of Charleston. He spent upwards of six months at the seat of war 
when he returned to his business in New York. In 1864 he was appointed official 
photographer for Princeton College, the work of which amounted to thousands 
of dollars and he acted in the same capacity for the Freedman's Bureau. He 
spent in all about twenty-five years in New York City and owned a fine country 
seat on Lcjng Island. He also at one time owned and conducted a wholesale 
and retail confectionery business in Fulton Street, Brooklyn. 

In 1874 he closed out all his interests and started for California, via the Isth- 
mus of Panama, and arrived in San Francisco February 25th, of that year. 
He soon embarked for San Pedro and Los Angeles. Los Angeles was then a 
small city of about nine thousand people. It had no railway connection with 
the outside world save the local line to Wilmington and the first street railway, 
a mule car line, was that year constructed. The city was inadequately supplied 
with hotels, the Pico House being the leading public stopping place and that was 
over crowded. The St. Charles (old Bella Union) and the Lafayette (now St. 
Elmo) were also full to their limit. Mr. Kimball in quest for an opening for busi- 
ness decided to erect a first class family hotel and accordingly purchased property 
on New High Street, north of Temple Street, and erected what was for years the 
leading hostelry of its class in the city, known as the Kimball Mansion. It became 
the home of many of the leading people of Los Angeles and prominent tourists 
from the east and abroad. Helen Hunt Jackson made it her home while in South- 
ern California, and it was there that she did much of the literarv work on her 



BIOGRAPHICAL Z7Z 

famous story, Ramona. He relates many interesting reminiscences of his ac- 
c^uaintance with this delightful guest. Mr. Kimball's residence of nine yeats 
in Los Angeles was crowded with business activities. Besides building the 
Kimball Mansion he made other investments in realty. He took an active in- 
terest in the progress of Los Angeles and Southern California and became super- 
intendent of the Southern California Horticultural and Agricultural Societies 
and it was under his direction and management that the joint exposition of 1878 
and also 1879 were held. The Board of Directors accorded him full credit for 
the phenomenal success of an enterprise entered upon with misgivings as to its 
feasibility and outcome. 

Mr. Kimball was married at the old Episcopal parsonage in Hudson Street, 
New York City, by Rev. Mr. Tuttle, June 26th, 1857, to Miss Eliza, a daughter 
of William Robb, a Scotchman. He was a capitalist and a member of Rob 
Roy clan, famous in the sixteenth century history of Scotland, and the hero of 
one of Sir Walter Scott's novels. Mrs. Kimball was a lady of exceptional 
social attainments, amiable temperament and domestic tastes. She became wide- 
ly known and popular during their residence in Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. 
Kimball purchased a fine residence in Santa Monica in 1882 at No. 22 5 North 
Second Street. She died in the seventy-fifth year of her age, April 18th, 1903. 
Mr. Kimball is a man of great kindness of heart and popularity as one of the 
best known Los Angeles pioneers. He is a life-long Democrat, of the old Andrew 
Jackson school, a thorough adherent to the doctrines and precepts of American 
government that made the old party the bulwark of our nation's greatness. 
He has lived to see his party side-step many times to its lasting discredit and 
chagrin of its oldest adherents. Mr. Kimball is an almost life-long member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church, as was Mrs. Kimball. He was very active in 
the old Central Methodist Episcopal Church, in Los Angeles, and has for years 
been one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Santa Monica. He 
is a Free Mason of over fifty years standing. 



Richard R. Tanner, the pioneer lawyer of Santa Monica, is a native 
of the "Golden State," born at San Juan, in what is now San Benito County, 
then Monterey County, California, March 30th, 1858. His father, Albert Miles 
Tanner, was a California pioneer of 1847, who came overland to the Pacific Coast, 
a member of the famous Mormon Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel Philip 
St. George Cook, to aid in establishing United States Government authoritv 
in California. He was born in the town of Bolton, Warren County, N. Y., in 
1824, and there grew up. In early life he drifted to the then far west and was 
thrown in contact with the Mormons, who were pioneering Central and Southern 
Illinois. While he never affiliated with the Mormon Church, he for several 
years sustained intimate business relations with them, joined the battalion 
upon its organization in Iowa and shared its fortunes and misfortunes of war 



374 BIOGRAPHICAL 

until mustered out of service at San Diego, March 14th, 1848. He then went 
north to Sacramento, from which point he engaged in freighting with the famous 
pioneer, Sam Brannon, on Mormon Island. As a result of the disastrous floods 
of 1849 and 1850 he lost his property and in 1853 came south to San Bernardino. 
There he married Lovina Bickmore, removed to San Juan, Monterey County, 
and engaged in stock raising. Finally, late in 1871, he removed to Santa Paula, 
in Ventura County. He died at his Ventura home in 1881, at fifty-six years of 
age. He was a Douglas Democrat, later a Lincoln Republican, a man of strong 
individuality and well grounded opinions. The widow and mother is still living 
in Santa Paula. In Ventura County young Richard obtained his schooling and 
grew to manhood. He served as assistant postmaster of Ventura from 1877 
to 1883. He then took up the study of law in the office of prominent attorneys 
of Ventura, was admitted to the bar in 1884 and located in Santa Monica the 
same year. He was for thirteen years, 1888 to 1901, City Attorney of Santa 
Monica and his long continuance in office is a sufficient evidence of his popularity 
and a due appreciation of a well rendered public service. 

He served as Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles County from 1892 
to 1894. Mr. Tanner has devoted special attention to land law practice and is 
a recognized authority upon all matters pertaining to land titles in this section 
of the state. The firm, of which he is senior member, are attorneys for the 
Title Guarantee & Trust Company, of Los Angeles. He is senior member of the 
well known law firm of Tanner, Taft & Odell, with offices in the Dudley Building, 
Santa Monica, and the Coulter Block, No. 213 South Broadway, Los Angeles. 
Mr. Tanner is a stockholder and director of the Merchants National Bank of Santa 
Monica and Vice-president of the Santa Monica Savings Bank. He is a promi- 
nent Mason, an Odd Fellow, a Forester, a member of the Royal Arcanum, of 
the Native Sons of the Golden West and Elks. Mr. Tanner has been twice 
married — in 1883 to Miss Elizabeth J., a daughter of Judge Henry Robinson, 
of Ventura, by this union having one daughter, Mrs. Nora Ormsby. His second 
marriage was to Miss Sebaldina M. Bontty, of Santa Monica. The Tanner 
family residence, located on North Fourth Street, No. 144, is one of the many 
that have made Santa Monica famous as a citv of beautiful seaside homes. 



J. Euclid Miles, councilman, an enterprising and representative citizen, 
is a native of Mount Gilead, Morrow County, Ohio, at which place he 
was born September 7, 1851. His father, Enos Miles, was a pioneer of Morrow 
County and was the first sheriff of that county. He was by occupation a drug- 
gist, having a store at Mount Gilead. He also owned farming lands in the vicinity. 

Mr. Miles is the third of a family of seven children. He was educated in 
the public schools of Mount Gilead and Notre Dame, Ind., college, one of the most 
thorough educational institutions of its class in the country. After leaving 
college he entered a banking house in New York City, until 1873, when he re- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 375 

turned to Ohio and entered the motive power department of the C. C. C. & I R 
Ry., learned mechanics and became a first class locomotive engineer. For nearly 
sixteen years he followed this strenuous calling. 

In 1889 he gave up his position on the railroad at Pueblo, Colorado. Here 
he engaged in the loaning, real estate and insurance business. For a period of 
about twenty-two years he remained in Pueblo. He prospered in business and 
was recognized as one of the most energetic and influential citizens of the place 
The Pueblo Star-youmal, of July 15th, 1906, has this to say of Mr. Miles, who 
was on a business trip to his former home city ; 

"J- Euclid Miles, a well known real estate man of Santa Monica, Cal., leaves 
for his home on the Pacific Slope today at noon. Mr. Miles was a resident of 
Pueblo for twenty years, leaving for California about four years ago on account of 
Mrs. Miles health. During a large share of the time he resided in our city, he was 
engaged in the real estate business and bore the reputation of being one of the 
most energetic hustlers in the business. ' ' 

Mr. .Miles acquired valuable property interests in Pueblo which he still 
holds. He came to Santa Monica in July, 1902, and soon thereafter organized 
the Santa Monica Investment Company, a business enterprise that has been 
most active and successful in the work of building and developing homes in this 
region of the country. Mr. Miles is the general manager of this company. 

In August, 1905, Mr. Miles organized the real estate firm of Miles & Tegner, 
which became the heaviest purchaser and owner of first class realty in the'city 
of Santa Monica. 

Mr. Miles promptly became identified with the substantial growth and 
development of his adopted city and active in the promotion of its civil welfare 
He was elected to the City Council from the Sixth Ward, under the new Free- 
holders Charter of 1906, and placed at the head of the Committee on Finance 
and made a member of other committees of less importance. His policy in 
directing the financial affairs of the city has proved one of wise economy and 
judicious expenditure. 

On May 26th, 1872, Mr. Miles was married in New York City to Miss Mary 
Ann Moore, a native of Queens County, Ireland, and the daughter of John Moore. 
Mr. Miles is a prominent and active member of the Knights of Columbia 
Elks, Independent Order of Foresters and National Brotherhood of Locomotive 
Engineers. 



Charles C. LeBas is a native of London, England, born April 30th, 1859, 
a son of Henry V. LeBas, who is the preacher of the Charter House, London' 
England. 

Mr. LeBas was educated by private tutors. At twenty-one years of age he 
went to Algiers for some time and returned home. Later he spent some time at 
Smgapore, Southeast Asia, chiefly in pursuit of health. He then returned to 
London and engaged extensively in the publishing business as a member of the 



376 



r.I()(;RAPHICAL 



house of Sonnenschein & LeBas, publishers of school, text and story books and 
also high class story magazines. He subsequently retired from the business 
and went to Australia. In 1893 he returned to London, after which he spent 
several years coflfee planting in Java, and there remained until he came to South- 
ern California in 1896, living in Los Angeles, Covina and San Bernardino. Since 
1896 he has lived in retirement in Santa Monica, owning a modern home on Oregon 
Avenue. 

Mr. LeBas married, in 1896, Miss Marion Gene Eckford, a native of the beaut- 
iful Isle of Jersey. They have one son, Harry LeBas, a native of California. 

Mr. LeBas has made investments in California realty and is interested in 
mining properties. 



Fred H. Taft, lawyer, of Santa Monica, was born at Pierrepont Manor, 
Jefferson County, New York, April 4th, 1857. He is a son of Reverend Stephen 

H. Taft, now resident of Sawtelle. A com- 
prehensive sketch of the life of the father 
appears elsewhere in this work (see index), 
which throws some light upon the earlier 
surroundings and influences under which the 
subject of this brief notice was reared. He 
was about six years of age when the family 
located as pioneers in Iowa. He was educated 
at Humboldt College, Humboldt, Iowa, grad- 
uating from that institution in 1878. From 
1874 to 1882 he edited and pubhshed the 
Humboldt Kosnios. In 1883 he was one of 
the founders of the Hardin County ('iti::cii 
at Iowa Falls, Iowa. For four years, begin- 
ning in 1884, he was associated in the conduct 
of the Fort Dodge (Iowa) Mcsscni^cr. There- 
after he followed semi-newspaper work and 
commercial lines in Sioux City, Iowa, in the 
meantime reading law. He was admitted 
to the bar while at Sioux City, and practiced 
there until the close of 1892. January 1st, 
1893, he arrived in California, and the follow- 
ing year formed a law partnership with 
Richard R. Tanner, the hrm now being Tanner, Taft & Odell, with offices in Los 
Angeles and Santa Monica. From 1902 to his resignation at the end of 1907, he 
served Santa Monica satisfactorily as City Attorney. In his religious preferences 
Mr. Taft is a Unitarian, and his lodge affiliations are confined to the International 




FRIU) H. TAFT. 



BIOGRAPHICAL Zl"/ 

Order of Good Templars, of which he is an active member. Mr. Taft married at 
Humboldt, Iowa, in 1881, Miss Frances M. Welch, and they have two children 
living — Muriel and Harris, graduates of Stanford University. The family home 
is Kl S/uickcto, at the corner of Oregon Avenue and Sixth Street. 



John A. Stanwood, of Santa Monica, is a native of Newburyport, Mass., 
and was born March 3rd, 1856. His father, John Rogers Stanwood, was a hat 
manufacturer, organizer and promoter of the Newburyport Hat Company and 
a successful man of affairs. 

The history of the Stanwood family is closely associated with that of early 
New England dating as far back as 1652 to Philip vStanwood who was one of the 
pioneers of the Old Colony of Massachusetts, the annals of which record many 
of the names as preacheis, doctois, lawyers, soldiers, statesmen and authors. 
The mother of John Rogers Stanwood was Sara Rogers whose ancestors lived 
at Gloucester, Mass. ; were among the pilgrims who founded that town and were 
lineal descendants of John Rogers, the martyr. 

John A. Stanwood passed his boyhood and youth in Newburyport, Mass., 
passed through the public schools and later pursued a course of study in Berton. 
He then engaged in the drug business in that city for a period of four years. 
In March, 1882, he came to California and spent about a year on a stock ranch 
in the San Luis Rey Valley, San Diego County. In 1883 he located in San Ber- 
nardino where he took active part in local affairs, aiding in the incorporation 
of the City of San Bernardino. He later rem.oved to Redlands where he was 
likewise active and influential in securing the final location of the Santa Fe 
Railway through Redlands and donated valuable lands for railway purposes, 
being one of the original parties who insisted on its present location. 

Mr. Stanwood came to Santa Monica, soon conceived the idea of developing 
the sand dunes bordering the Ocean Front south of Santa Monica into a residential 
summer resort and in furtherance of his plans associated with himself Dr. Ell- 
wood Chaffee, Arthur Gayford, E. E. Hall and James Campbell who purchased 
and secured title to the land now comprising the southern portion of the City 
of Santa Monica and the City of Ocean Park, which includes Venice. 

This land was purchased from Captain Arthur Hutchenson — consideration. 
$2 5,000. They then organized the Santa Monica Terminal and Wharf Company, 
secured the franchise for the Santa Fe Railway into Santa Monica over what 
was then Lucas Avenue, which franchise finally passed to the Pacific Electric 
Railway Co. and is now used by that company. He negotiated the sale of the 
Short Line Beach Tract to Mr. Frank Strong. He likewise negotiated the sale 
of the Irwin Heights Tract to the Erkenbrecker Syndicate, of Los Angeles. He 
organized a syndicate and promoted Ocean Park Heights and the east Ocean 
Park Heights Addition to Ocean Park. He is president of the Venice Chamber 



378 BIOGRAPHICAL 

of Commerce which, under his administration, is accomplishing much for the 
material prosperity of the Canal City. With some associates he is at present 
engaged in the development of the oil territory in the Santa Monica mountains. 
i\lr. Stanwood is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 
and of the Woodmen of the World. 



Hon. Guilford Wiley Wells, soldier, lawyer, statesman and diplomat 
was born at Conesus Center, New York, February 14th, 1840, and is the youngest 
of three children of Isaac Tichenor Wells and Charity Kenyon, who were joined 
in marriage in Granville, New York, February 4th, 1830. Isaac Tichenor Wells 
was born at Fairfax, Vermont, August 11th, 1807, and died in Conesus Center, 
November 2nd, 1868. The Wells family trace their genealogy back to the 
time of William the Conqueror in England, and to the latter part of the sixteenth 
century in America and number among their ancestors in direct line many illus- 
trious personages on both sides of the Atlantic. Guilford Wiley Wells was 
educated at Genesee Wesley an Seminary and College, Lima, New York. Upon the 
breaking out of the war of the Rebellion (while he was in college) Mr. Wells enlisted 
on the first call for volunteers, as a member of the First New York Dragoons, and 
gave nearly four years of valiant service to the preservation of the Union and 
the defense of the "Old Flag." He fought under that intrepid hero of Winchester, 
General P. H. Sheridan, participated in thirty-seven battles, and rose by suc- 
cessive promotions for gallant services performed to the rank of Brevet Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel; was twice wounded, the last time in February, 1865, so seriously 
as to permanently disable his left arm, and was discharged from the service on 
account of his wound February 14th, 1865. Retiring from the army Colonel 
Wells resumed his studies and 1867 graduated in law at the Columbian College 
at Washington, D. C. In December, 1869, he moved to Holly Springs, Mis- 
sissippi, to practice his profession. In June, 1870, he was appointed by President 
Grant, United States District Attorney for the northern district of that state. 
The Reconstruction Act being passed by Congress about this time, the demoraliz- 
ing effects of the war began to be manifest in the organized lawlessness which 
prevailed, especially in Northern Mississippi, in the terrorism of the Ku Klux 
Klan. Laws had been enacted for the punishment of these crimes but they 
remained a dead letter on the statutes for the want of prosecuting officers with 
sufficient courage, tact and ability to enforce them. The ablest men in the Mis- 
sissippi bar — which was one of the strongest in any state in the Union — were 
employed to defend these defiers of the law. Comprehending the situation. 
Colonel Wells determined to do his duty and prepared as best he could to wage 
battle with those giants of the bar. He drew the first indictment under the re- 
construction act and secured the first decision rendered in the south against 
Ku Klux in District Judge R. A. Hill's court, thus winning the first legal fight 
and establishing a precedent which, was adopted in other states and finally re- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 379 

suited in the complete destruction of that organization. TJie Ku Klux were 
hunted down and their secret hiding places invaded, their murderous secrets 
were revealed and the perpetrators of crimes punished according to their deserts. 
Mississippi was thus transformed from one of the most lawless to one of the 
most orderly states in the Union. This herculean task was performed at a 
great expenditure of labor and energy and at great peril of life but in perform- 
ing it Colonel Wells won the esteem of the best element of society. Though 
having no desire to enter the arena of politics by the prominence of his official 
position and his contact with public men, Colonel Wells was forced to assume 
a leading position in his party and was chiefly instrumental in securing the 
nomination and election of General Ames (then United States Senator) to the 
governorship of Mississippi in 1873. The legislature chosen at the same time 
elected a United States Senator, and yielding to the importunity of his friends 
Colonel Wells consented to become a candidate. For some unaccountable 
reason, Ames, the man he had befriended, and who had hitherto professed a 
warm personal friendship for him, turned against his benefactor, and by a strenu- 
ous effort and the use of his official power prevented Colonel Well's election to 
the United States Senate. Not content with this success against his old friend 
Governor Ames exerted himself to defeat Colonel Well's re-appointment to the 
United States District Attorney's office, but his faithfulness and efficiency in 
that capacity had been too well demonstrated, and at the expiration of his first 
term in 1874 he was reappointed by President Grant and his appointment was 
unanimously confirmed by the Senate. In 1876 Colonel Wells received the nomi- 
nation for Congress in the Second Mississippi District in opposition to A. R. 
Howe, the Ames candidate, over whom he was elected by 7,000 majority, re- 
ceiving the full vote of his own party (Republican) and the support of the best 
element in the Democratic party. During his term in Congress Representative 
Wells served on several important committees and though in the minority 
politically, by his energy and fertility of resource he was recognized as one of 
the most influential working members of the House. Recognizing in Colonel 
Wells the qualities adapting him for an important government position. President 
Hayes tendered him in June, 1877, the office of consul general to Shanghai, China, 
which he accepted, and sailed from San Francisco to his post of duty August 
8th of that year. Previous to embarking he had received orders to investigate 
charges which had been preferred by his predecessor, General Myers, against 
O. B. Bradford, Vice-Consul at Shanghai. Myers had been suspended by Minister 
George H. Seward, and the latter 's friend Bradford placed in charge of the con- 
sulate before the charges against Bradford could be investigated. Arriving in 
China and assuming charge of the Shanghai consulate September 13th, 1877, 
Colonel Wells proceeded to examine the accusations against Bradford. He found 
him guilty, not only as charged by Myers, but of numerous other grave offenses, 
such as robbing the United States mails, embezzlement of government fees, 
violation of tieaty rights with China, extortions from American citizens, mutila- 



383 r.IOCxRAPHICAL 

lion of records, conspiring with Seward to remove official records and papers 
from the Consul General's office, etc. Mr. Wells being convinced of Bradford's 
fraudulent and criminal proceedings, had him arrested and placed in jail, report- 
ino- at once by telegraph and by letter to the State Department at Washington 
the result of his investigations and asking for further instructions. After 
inexcusable delays in replving to his communications, and other matters trans- 
piring to convince Consul General Wells that an effort was being made by officials 
in hio-h authority to shield Bradford and Seward in their fraudulent proceedings, 
he tendered his resignation, turned over the alTairs of the office in Shanghai, 
and sailed for home January 10th, 1878. A committee subsequently created 
by the House of Representatives to investigate the Bradford charges returned 
a unanimous report that the charges were sustained, and filed articles of impeach- 
ment against Bradford. The investigation culminated in the retirement of 
both Seward and Bradford to private life. Colonel Wells twice refused the 
tender of Consul to Hong Kong, deciding to resume the practice of his profession. 
Colonel and Mrs. Wells having come by way of Southern California on their 
return trip from China were delighted with the climate and decided to make 
it their future home. Accordingly they settled in Los Angeles in 1879 and 
have resided here ever since. Forming a law^ partnership with Judge Anson 
Brunson, the hrm of Brunson & Wells at once attained a leading position in 
the bar of Southern California. This relation continued until Judge Brunson 
was elected to the Superior Bench and that partnership was dissolved. Up 
to the time of his final retirement from active practice, Colonel Wells stood at 
the head of the following law firms — Wells, Vandyke & Lee, Wells, Guthrie & 
Lee, Wells, Munroe & Lee, Wells & Lee and Wells, Works & Lee. The private 
law library of Colonel Wells, one of the most extensive in the state, is now in 
the office of Works & Lee, the latter, Bradner W. Lee, being Colonel Wells' 
nephew. 

In Avoca, N. Y., December 22nd, 1864, Colonel Wells married Miss Katy 

C. Fox, who was born in that town, a daughter of Matthias and Margaret Fox. 
They became the parents of a son, Charles F., who was born in Washington, 

D. C, November 9th, 1869, and died at Holly Springs, Miss., December 24th 
1872. The second marriage of Colonel Wells took place in Louisville, Kentucky, 
December 31st, 1891, and united him with Mrs. Lena (McClelland) Juny, a 
daughter of Frank and Marion (Watts) McClelland, of Kentucky. Mrs. Wells 
was born in Paducah that state and is related to some distinguished southern 
families. She is Regent of the Santa Monica Chapter of the Daughters of the 
Revolution since its organization, and an influential member of the Santa Monica 
Women's Club. She is a cultured, sweet-spirited woman and takes a ])ersonal 
interest in local charities. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



381 



S. W. Odell, City Attorney of Santa Monica, is a native of Illinois and 
was born in the town of Hampton, Rock Island County, that state, November 
4th, 1864. His father's ancestors 
were from Yorkshire, England, and 
in the early days of the country, 
settled in the State of New York; 
later moving on to the western 
frontier in Ohio. His father, John 
P. Odell, left Ohio and located in 
Illinois about the year 1850. Mr. 
Odell's ancestry on his mother's 
side was partially of Scotch origin. 
The subject of our sketch received 
his education in the common schools 
of Illinois and Iowa, later attending 
Port Byron Academy, at Port Byron, 
Illinois, and the Bloomington Law 
School of the Illinois Wesleyan 
University, from which he holds 
a Bachelor's Degree. He was ad- 
mitted to practice law in the State 
of Illinois in 1887 and practiced in 
the courts of that state until the 
summer of 1903, with the exception 
of the year 1908, spent at Santa 
Cruz, California. He maintained an 

office at Moline, Illinois, for a period of fifteen years and was, for a portion of that 
time. City Attorney. He came to California in 1903. After some months spent 
in Los Angeles, he opened an office in Santa Monica in the spring of 1904 becoming 
soon thereafter a member of the law firm of Tanner, Taft & Odell. He was 
appointed City Attorney of Santa Monica. in April 1907 and his professional 
services to the new city government have proven invaluable. Mr. Odell married 
at Port Byron, Illinois, Miss Clara J. W. Morgan, in the year 1888, and they 
have two sons and one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Odell are active members of 
the First M. E. Church of Santa Monica. The family residence is at No. 1034 
Second Street. 




s. W. ODELL. 



William T. Gillis comes of the sturdy stock of Nova Scotia, being born 
in that province, the son of Robert Gillis, a successful shipbuilder in the LTnited 
States. He passed his youth at the place of his birth and received his educa- 
tion in Pictou, Nova Scotia, graduating from the Pictou Academy. He then 
fitted himself for the occupation of a druggist and became the owner of a drug 
store in Pictou. 



382 lUOGRAPHICAL 

In 1887, drawn by the magic tales of California, he came to this state and 
located in Santa Monica, where he soon opened a drug store, which he carried on 
for a number of years, successfully engaged in the drug business. He returned 
to Santa Monica in 1901 since which time he has been a resident of this city. 

He at once became identified with the remarkable real estate transactions 
w^hich have marked the vicinity of Santa Monica, and have changed the entire 
aspect of the country within the past few years. As vice president and manager 
of the Pacific Land Company, he was one of the promoters of Sawtelle and the 
adjacent lands, which opened up a large acreage for settlement on such terms that 
the old soldiers, their families and the laboring people were able to secure homes. 
As a result of the policy pursued here, a thrifty community has grown up which 
is a valuable addition to the Avealth and population of this district. 

Later, Mr. Gillis, with other prominent real estate men, organized the Pali- 
sades Investment Company and also the Santa Monica Investment Company, 
which secured fifty acres of land known now as the Palisades; one of the most 
beautiful residence sites in California or, indeed, in the world. The company 
spent a large sum in improvements and it met with a large sale at most advan- 
tageous figures. 

Mr. Gillis was one of the organizers of the Sunset Brick and Tile Company 
which began the erection of the extensive plant now owned by the Los Angeles 
Pressed Brick Company, into which the first company was merged, its projectors 
retaining an interest in the present company. He is also interested in the South- 
west Warehouse Company, which owns a large warehouse, located on the tracks 
of the Southern Pacific and Los Angeles-Pacific Railways. He is a stockholder 
and director of the Bank of Santa Monica and of the Santa Monica Savings Bank 
and president of the Santa Monica Water Company. 

But Mr. Gillis is not only interested in financial affairs. He takes an active 
interest in public affairs, being a stalwart Republican in politics. He is also a 
prominent Mason, being a member and Past Master of Santa Monica Lodge, 
F. and A. M. ; a member of the Los Angeles Commandery, K. T. ; and a member of 
Al Malaikah Temple, of Los Angeles. He holds the rank of past exalted ruler 
in the Santa Monica Lodge, B. P. O. E., which recently presented him with a 
handsome jewel in appreciation of his services to the organization. 

Mr. Gillis owns and occupies a beautiful home in the Palisade district. 



Antoine Busier, a successful merchant, is a native of Hinesburg, Chittenden 
County, Vermont, born July 29th, 1862. His father's name was Antoine Busier, 
Sr., a native of Canada. Mr. Busier came to California in 1885, and after a brief 
stay in Sacramento, came to Southern California in 1886. He is a tinner by trade, 
and is a mechanical genius. When a boy he w^orked in a woolen mill as a loom 
operator because of his fondness for machinery. Upon coming to Lc^s Angeles 
in 1886, he worked in the old Baker Iron Works established by the late M. S. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 383 

Baker, at the corner of Second and Main Streets. When he came to Santa Monica 
he took up the plumbing and tinning business until 1887. Later he worked in 
the grocery of E. C. Sessions. He was driver, for a time, on the first street car 
which ran to the Soldiers' Home. He opened the first fruit store in the town in 
August, 1887 with Victor Hathaway. He soon sold out to Hathaway Brothers 
and, in 1888, opened a stationery store at 217 Third Street in a building erected 
for him by W. D. Vawter. There he conducted his business for fourteen years 
when he removed to his present location in February, 1903. He carries an 
extensive and well selected stock of books, stationery, periodical literature, toys, 
etc. He has for fifteen years been a member of the Independent Order of Fores- 
ters, and its financial secretary for seven years. 

In 1906 he married Miss M. E. J. Peters, of Los Angeles. At present the 
family reside at No. 1524 North Fourth Street. 



Frank E. Bundy, an influential citizen, property owner and capitalist of 
Santa Monica, whose name is synonymous with the history and the business 
growth of the place, is a native of Iowa, having been born in the town of Ames, 
August 4th, 1871, the son of Nathan and Harriet (Smith) Bundy, who were 
among the first settlers of Santa Monica. 

Mr. Bundy was a boy of five years of age when the family left Iowa, came to 
California and located in the then embryo City of Santa Monica. He attended 
the first schools as they were organized, passed through the grades and graduated 
from the wSanta Monica High School. 

After leaving school he perfected himself in the trade of jeweler and watch 
maker and opened a store in this place which he carried on successfully until 
close application to business and indoor work so impaired his health that his 
physicians insisted upon a change which v/ould give him employment in the open 
air. He then embarked in the wholesale and retail oil business and he pushed the 
trade with such energy and good management that within a period of about four 
years he found himself the possessor of some of the best real estate holdings in 
Santa Monica, all puichased with the profits of his business. He then closed out 
the oil business and with renewed force and enthusiasm, inaugurated a series of 
land deals, the successful prosecution of which have placed him in the front rank of 
Teal estate promotors. He took an active interest in the platting and sale of the 
East Ocean Park tract. "Sierra Vista," the success and fame of which are by 
no means local, is Mr. Bundy 's individual enterprise and his fondest hopes for a 
substantial and picturesque addition to Santa Monica are here being realized in 
full. 

In 1905 Mr. Bundy erected, at 253-255 North Third Street, the F. E. Bundy 
Block, one of the most substantial and architecturally perfect brick buildings in 
the city. It has a frontage of fifty feet on the street, is one hundred and fifty 
feet deep and three stories in heighth. The first floor is occupied by the i\Iont- 



384 moCRAPHICAL 

goinery Dry Goods House; the second is devoted to offices, single and ensuite, 
and the third is occupied by modern apartments, known as the Adelaide Apart- 
ments. 

In 1906, Mr. Bundy put up the P. E. Bundy Building No. 2, in Sawtelle. 
This, in size and architectural finish is fully up to the standard of his Santa Monica 
building. It occupies the corner of Oregon and Fourth Street and is an office 
building. In 1904, Mr. Bundy built for his family residence one of the most 
spacious and beautiful bungalow homes in Santa Monica. He has also (1907) just 
completed a fine residence in Los Angeles, located at the corner of 16th and Arling- 
ton streets. 

Mr. Bundy married, in 1899, Miss Ethel E. Spaulding, daughter of Jaied 
Spaulding, of Elgin, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Bundy have two daughters, Adelaide and 
Elizabeth. 

Frank E. Bundy is a plain, unassuming and courteous man of business, 
devoted to the best interests of his home city, the management of his various and 
valuable properties, and the happiness of his family. 



A. M. Montgomery, leading dry goods merchant of this city, is a native 
of California, and was born at Jamestown, Toulumne County, April 4th, 1870. 
His father is a California pioneer of the early sixties, and a sketch of his life 
appears on another page of this book. 

Mr. Montgomery was but six years of age when the family removed to Santa 
Monica from the central part of the state. Santa Monica was then but a hamlet 
of two years' existence, composed of a few hundred courageous and hopeful people 
and the youthful life of our subject may be said to have started with the material 
growth of the new city. He attended the first schools opened in the town, passed 
through the grades as they were estabHshed, and graduated at the High School, 
after which he managed the business of the old North Beach Bath House, later 
known as the Arcadia Bath House. He held the position for two years. He 
then took a position as accountant and salesman for H. A. Winslow, grocers, of 
Santa Monica, and was with the concern about five years. In 1896 he opened a 
Men's Furnishing Goods Store with F. B. McComas as partner, under the firm 
name of Montgomery & McComas. In 1899, Mr. Montgomery purchased his 
partner's interest and coon thereafter bought the dry goods and furnishing goods 
stock of N. A. Roth, and opened for business in a modest store at No. 223 Third 
Street, where he remained until December 1st, 1905, when he removed to his 
present location in the Bundy Block, Nos. 1408-1410 North Third Street. Mont- 
gomery's is the most extensive dry goods emporium in Los Angeles County out- 
side of the City of Los Angeles. It has a frontage on Third Street of fifty feet, 
and a lateral depth of one hundred feet. Its interior equipment is in all respects 
modern and complete, including a cash and package carrying system. The sales 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



385 



rooms are airy and light and the entire estabhshment is admirably arranged for 
the handling of their extensive business. 

In 1903, Mr. Montgomery opened a store at Pier Avenue, Ocean Park, of 
the same size, carrying the same line of goods, which in size and arrangement is 
now a duplicate of his splendid Santa Monica house. 

Mr. Montgomery was married January 10th, 1898, to Mrs. Isabella Mallory, 
and they have one son, Albert Irving, born March 11th, 1902. The family home 
is one of the many attractive residences of the city, No. 827 Second Street. 

Mr. Montgomery is a member of the Santa Monica lodge of Elks, Foresters of 
America, Native Sons of the Golden West and Santa Monica Board of Trade. 



O. G. TuLLis, a resident of Santa Monica, a native of Bloomington, 111., 
was born October 16th, 1864, spent his youth and received his early education 
in his native town. He came with 
his parents to Los Angeles in 1875. 
His father was Andrew T. Tullis, a 
photographer, who for a time owned 
the old Sunbeam Gallery, for many 
years one of the leading picture 
making establishments of old Los 
Angeles. He finally retired to his 
ranch in Cold water Canyon, where he 
died in 1877. A son, W. L. Tullis, 
now lives on the home place Mrs. 
Tullis was, before marriage, Matilda 
Bush, daughter of Michael Bush, a 
German. She was a sister of the late 
venerable Charles Bush, one of the 
best known pioneers of Los Angeles. 
She is living at the homestead in 
Coldwater Canyon. Mr. Tullis attend- 
ed the early schools of Los Angeles, 
first at Eighth and Fort Streets, now 
Broadway, later in the old building 
that stood on the present rite of the 
County Court House. 

He learned the manufacturing jewelers' trade of his uncle, the late Charles 
Bush and his brother, Woodford B. Tullis, deceased, 1897. He was a prosperous 
jeweler of Los Angeles, whose store was located at the corner of Fourth and Spring- 
Streets. Mr. Tullis came to Santa Mc^nica and opened his shop in ]\Iarch, 1885. 
at 1426 Third Street, in the front room of the postoffice, when the late Judge 
Boyce was postmaster, and is still doing business at the old stand. 

25 




O. G. TUI.LIS. 



385 lUOGRAPHICAL 

Mr. Tullis married in Los Angeles Miss Anna C. Berdini and they have one 
daughter, Ohve. 

Mr. TulHs is a Mason, Elk, Odd Fellow, Knight of Pythias, Forester and 
Maccabee. He ii one of the substantial merchants of Santa Monica. 



The late Judge O. W. Jewett, of Sawtelle, was a native of New York, born 
in the town of Portland, Chautauqua County, August 7th, 1844. 

His father, Oris Jewett, was a mechanic, and for many years was identified 
with extensive machine works at Lowell, Indiana, where the family moved and 
located when the son was about six years of age. He there grew up and acquired 
a good common school education. 

In 1861, being at the time only seventeen years of age, he volunteered to 
defend the cause of the Union and was mustered into the 20th Indiana Infantry 
and served three years, the term of his enlistment. He then re-enlisted in the 
First Rhode Island Battery and served until the fall of Richmond and the close 
of the war, rounding out a continuous service of four years and three months, 
chiefly in the Army of the Potomac, during which time he participated in 
some of the bloodiest engagements of the sanguinary conflict — notably Fredericks- 
burg, Spottsylvania Court House, Mire Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and 
many other minor engagements. 

After the war he went into the mining regions of Utah and Montana and 
followed the occupation of an engineer. By reason of impaired health he relin- 
quished this business and in 1880 located at Sturgis, then a new town on the fron- 
tier in South Dakota, where he thoroughly identified himself with the professional 
and business interest of his adopted city and county. There he held the office 
of Justice of the Peace from 1882 until 1890 and became a student of the law. 
He was there admitted to the bar of Mead County in 1890 and was almost immedi- 
ately elected County Judge, and as a jurist he was held in such high esteem that 
he was elected without serious opposition for a second term in 1892. He there- 
after practiced law at Sturgis, having a large clientage. 

In 1903 he came to California and located at Sawtelle where he formed a 
partnership with Mr. John Farley and engaged in the real estate business, mean- 
time practicing his profession. He served as attorney for the Sawtelle Building 
& Loan Association. He was also president of the Board of Trustees of the Saw- 
telle City School District, in which position he did much for the advancement 
of the cause of education and perfection of a sound local school system, not only 
devoting his best personal energies, but contributing at times money to defray 
expenses that could not otherwise be provided for. He was public spirited and 
always ready with his best energies and wise counsel to forward worthy move- 
ments for the public good. He was a man of the more refined social instincts, a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and 
the Grand Army of the Republic. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 387 

In politics, Judge Jewett was a consistent Republican, not blindly partisan, 
but stood for what he deemed wise party measures and a clean administration 
of public affairs. 

Judge Jewett was married at Lowell, Indiana, to Miss Delila Drake. 
She died at Sturgis, S. D., in 1887, leaving two children — Fred, now deceased, 
and Hattie, wife of Edward Galvin, of Sturgis, S. D. Mr. and Mrs. Galvin have 
one daughter, Madge. February 4th, 1889, Judge Jewett married Mrs. Annie, 
widow of Rev. Francis C. Haney, Assistant Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal 
Church, of Montreal, Canada, by which union there is one son. Oris Francis, 
born at Sturgis, S. D., November 22nd, 1891. Mrs. Jewett is a daughter of James 
Soutar, a native of Forfarshire, Scotland, a blacksmith by trade, who came to 
America in 1853 and located at Lachute, Quebec, Canada, about forty miles north 
of Montreal, where he lived until 1865. He then removed to Black Hills, S. D., 
where he pursued his trade and incidentally engaged in mining, passing through 
the great excitement of his home state mining days. He also engaged in farming 
and lived on the first located land in all that region of country. He finally retired 
to Sawtelle where with Mrs. Jewett he spent his declining days. He died April 
14th, 1908. 

Mrs. Jewett spent her girlhood and early married life in the City of Montreal, 
Canada. Following the death of her first husband she sought the home and 
protection of her father at Black Hills. Young and ambitious, she caught the 
spirit of enterprise that pervaded the new and prosperous country and acquired 
by pre-emption and also by purchase valuable tracts of government land which she 
improved and stocked with cattle. These enterprises she so astutel)' managed 
as to make them profitable. Upon coming to California she disposed of her 
personal holdings. 

Mrs. Jewett is a lady of social refinement and domestic culture. She is 
sweet spirited and vitally interested in local charities. She is an active member 
of the Church of Saint Augustine by the Sea, Episcopal, of Santa Monica, is a 
member and officer of the Order of the Eastern Star, of Sawtelle. 

Judge Jewett died October 24th, 1907, and was buried under the auspices 
of the Masonic fraternity, at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica. 



JoHX J. Seymour is a native of Ohio, born near Washington, C. H. Fayette 
County, February 16th, 1852. When a child his parents moved to Illinois. 
He obtained an elementary education in the schools of that state and later 
entered the State University, graduating with the class of 1877 as a civil engineer. 

After graduation he was employed some time in the government service 
making surveys on the Mississippi River, then in various railroad construction 
corps in Indiana, Dakota, and later in Colorado with the Denver & Rio Grand 
R. R. during its palmy construction era. He afterward engaged in mining 
engineering and was a U. S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor in the San Juan silver mines 



388 BIOGRAPHICAL 

in Colorado. In 1886 he came to California and was for some time engaged in 
railroad construction in Plumas County and later in a general engineering business 
in Santa Clara County. In 1890 he located in Fresno where he became general 
manager and part owner of the Fresno City Water Works. He early became 
interested in the development of electric water power and assisted in the forma- 
tion of a company organized to bring electric power from the San Joaquin River 
in the Sierra Mountains to the City of Fresno. He was president and general 
manager. This company was one of the pioneers in electric transmission and 
claimed the distinction at one time of having the longest transmission line (35 
miles and later 69 miles) in existence, and of operating its water wheels under 
the highest head of water, 1400 feet. 

His health failing he was obliged to dispose of his business interests in and 
about Fresno and in 1903 he removed to Santa Monica which he has since made 
his home, making substantial investments in real estate in this vicinity. Mr. 
Seymour is recognized as one of Santa Monica's most substantial citizens. He 
takes a lively personal interest in local public affairs, is one of the charter members 
of the Santa Monica Board of Trade and its president-elect. Mr. Seymour was 
married in 1885 to Corinne, a daughter of Dr. Joseph Howells, of Richmond. 
Indiana, and a cousin of the famous author, William Dean Howells. 



j. W. Todd, junior member of the undertaking firm of Bresee Brothers and 
Todd, Santa Monica, is a native of Missouri, was born at Pleasant Hill, in Cass 
County, that state, November 3rd, 1874. His father, Charles F. Todd, for many 
years having successfully engaged in business in Missouri, has for eight years 
lived in retirement in Los Angeles. Mr. Todd received an academic schooling at 
Wichita, Kansas, and later at Garfield University, same city. He came with the 
family to California in 1899 and soon thereafter took a position with Bresee 
Brothers, leading undertakers of Los Angeles, where he acquired a thorough 
knowledge of undertaking in all its branches. In 1906 he organized the firm of 
Bresee Brothers & Todd, purchased the undertaking business of A. M. Guidinger, 
holding a one-third interest in the same and assumed entire management of the 
same. The building owned and occupied by the company is one of the most 
spacious and architectural in Santa Monica. The furnishings and equipment are 
modern and complete in all respects 

Mr. Todd married in 1893 Miss Olive Miller, a daughter of M. K. Miller, 
a prominent business man and two terms mayor of the City of Salida, Colorado. 
Mrs. Todd is a lady of fine mental attainments and was for mo:e than nine years 
a teacher in the public schools of Salida. 

Mr. Todd is a member of the B. P. O. E., I. O. 0. F., Modern Woodmen, 
Fraternal Brotherhood and of the Christian Church. xMrs. Todd is prominently 
identified with the Order of the Eastern Star and is an active member of the 
Crescent Bay Women's Club, Ocean Park, and the Santa Monica Women's Club. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 3gy 

nth day of March, 1856 Hi" a he'lvman W , . "'"" '^ "'^^ •^°™ ""= 

parentage and ancestry and was bo;n1n New 'Ha^p ^^f; ? ot" h"''^ 

boyhood was snent Whpn a ,.^, , •^I'lrnpsnire m 1802, where his 

in 185 7 the family moved to New YorVanri ir.^.+ i r • i^o maturity 

In .857 they en^.^rated to ini:- and e' ed 'feaToire™ Tn't"'" c"™'^' 

iry tt h;hfrth:pL::r^„--: .\tn^t: ™f — °-^ =■ 

as th'cr pr™;^a,- neighbors " "^""' ^^^^= '""^ ''^-^ "'" «»- '"d-- 

Returning to IlUnois they lived for a time at Cleveland «.H 
In .880 they removed to Bra.nerd, Minnesota, whte't'll^her-lclTIsar"^- 

Ne„ie"E.'d:tSrrco,:j^s:e:L?rR:t^^ 

veteran of the civ.l war for sev„ l i I ""^^ ^^ occupation, a 

He was a natn-e of L^d™, ^g anr^H^^C T^^^^ ^ "'""^=°"' 

for a time at In<^lewood H ^ j c Cahfornia m 1892 and lived 

yearsofale In^C: nter of 18r5 f.f "/'■"%-'"'^ ''"■ ''°'' ^' -™'>-three 
Dakota aSd engaged l:Zur!^Z^- '^^ ''"»"'"" "■^"' '° ^'^™^' ""'- C--^' 

operi«on':rn\::!f a':: cLTc ''Tr " ^^^-^^^ ^°' »°°'^- «« — --^ 

and for a time had nTi'^tsucTsf In^t! "'"l" T'!" "°"'"=^^* °' "^'^'^ 
the side of a bluff at PreTch Bar on the II M ^^-^ "'* *"""»" ■"*° 

vein of quartz that oroved K f f^" ""'°"" '^'^■■' ^^ unearthed a 

ntonds o'f ItaosrfaCrut teaU: 'Zfl ^ d' ^^"'''f^^, ^''^ ^^ '^- 

^::^orririr^T--l--— ^^ 

sold their clain° for SsS 000 c h ^""'1""°"''""^ "'"'^ '""' '" '""""« °P"ations. 
the Roths^hTd L^ers o tonln E '7T 'f " ^^^^'^ ■"*" ^'^^ "^"^^ "^ 

developed rt and .t h^ smce't T sol tr ^^ o^Ootr ",rT '"d"' tn 
owns a quantity of these beautiful <,.„» «".UOO,000. Mr. I^angdon still 

AfterdisDosiuanf 1,- t.'^aut'ful gems as souvenirs of his mining exploits 

R tertrty ^les wLTr'"'"',!'' "/'°"'^"^' "^^ ^''"^''™ -'"-" «° «-* 
when he cam" to California ""'■ '"' ^""''«^' ^»^'" '" ^'°^'^' --"=" -'" '«" 



390 I'.IOGRAPHICAL 

The following year Mr. Langdon settled with his famijy in Sawtelle and cast 
his fortune with the then small hamlet, made up of seven buildings and occupants 
thereof, and from that time has been one of its most active an'l enterprising 
citizens. 

He has invested heavily in city realty and now owns eighteen cottages, 
which he leases, besides other business and residence property. He built the 
Langdon Hotel in 1903, which for a time was operated upon the American plan 
but is now upon the European plan. 

He has been somewhat active and influential in city politics and was one of 
the original movers for the incorporation of the city, the histoiy of which move- 
ment may be found elsewhere in this volume. The second election for incorpor- 
ation, held November 26th, 1906, carried about three to one, and Mr. Langdon 
w^as elected to the Board of Trustees and subsequently chosen chairman of the 
board, which position he later resigned in favor of the present incumbent. Mr. 
Langdon 's services as a public official have proven eminently satisfactory to his 
fellow townsmen. His attitude upon all questions afifecting the public weal has 
always been consistently in favor of a clear government and healthy condition 
of public morals. A man of the strictest integrity and high ideals of citizenship, 
the people have implicit faith in him as a true and faithful public servant. 

Mr. and Mrs. Langdon have two sons and two charming daughters. Nellie 
is wife of Frederick Pardee, of Los Angeles; Cassie, a graduate of the Dobinson 
School of Expression, Los Angeles, is now Mrs. Harry Keys, of Bisbee, Arizona. 
The older son is Frank Clifford Langdon, of Modesto, Cal., and the youngest of 
the family is Tedd Russell Langdon, at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Langdon are leading members of the Church of Seventh Day 
Adventists, of Sawtelle, and are ready workers in all movements favoring the 
moral and spiritual upliftment of their home city. 



K. B. SuMMERFiELD, of Santa Monica, is a native of Vernon, Indiana, 
born May 15th, 1864. His father, John W. Summerfield, was a lawyer and for 
many years practiced his profession at Vernon, the county seat of Jennings 
County. Later in life he held for two successive terms the office of County Clerk 
of Jennings County. He married Katherine McClaskey. The Summerfields 
descended from Dutch ancestors and the McClaskeys were Scotch. Mr. Summer- 
field passed the days of his youth in his native town and was educated in the 
public schools of that place. He came to California in 1883. For eight years he 
was in the employ of W. D., W. S., and E. J. Vawter, acting as an accountant, 
and for four years he served the Bassett & Nebeker Lumber Company in the 
same capacity. Later he held the position for two years as local manager of the 
Sunset Lumber Company. He received the appointment of U. S. Postmaster for 
Santa Monica, April 6th, 1902 and was reappointed in 1906. He is an efficient 
and popular public servant. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



391 



Henry Dwight Barrows was born in IMansf.eld, Conn., February 23rd, 
1825, a son of Joshua Palmer and Polly (Bingham) Barrows. His paternal 
grandparents, Joshua and Anna (Turn- 
er) Barrows, were, like his parents, 
natives of Mansfield. The Barrows 
family came to America from England 
and settled at Plymouth, Alass. Thencnv 
in the latter part of the seventeenth 
century, two brothers moved to Mans- 
field, Conn., where eventually their 
name became more numerous than 
any other family name in town. In 
1845 the subject of this sketch counted 
more than thirty families of the name 
in that place. 

The maternal grandfather of Mr. 
Barrows, Oliver Bingham, was known 
and venerated as "Uncle Oliver Bing- 
ham, the miller of Mansfield Hollow." 
He is remembered by- his grandson as 
a large, well-proportioned man, re- 
sembling in appearance the pictures 
of George Washington. He had a 
brother, a miller on the Willimantic 
River, known widely as "Uncle Roger Bingham, of the old town of Windham." 

Joshua Palmer Barrows was born in 1794 and died in Mansfield in 1887; 
his w^fe was born in 1790 and died in 1864. They had three children, viz.: 
Mrs. Franklin S. Hovey, who died at Beverly, N. J., in 1890; Henry D. and James 
A., who for many years have been residents of Los Angeles. 

The early years of the subject of this sketch were spent on a farm. He 
received his education, first, in the public school, and later in the high school 
at South Coventry, Conn. Afterward he spent several terms in the academy 
at Ellington, Conn. Commencing when he was seventeen, he taught school 
for four winters. During this period he devoted considerable time to music, 
joining the local band, of which he became the leader, and taking lessons on 
the organ under a skillful English teacher in Hartford. In the village where 
Mr. Barrows was reared (South Mansfield, or Mansfield Center as it was known) 
books were scarce, but he read all he could get. "Dick's Christian Philosopher" 
delighted him, and he still regards it as one of the best works extant to widen 
one's ideas of the world around him. 

His first business experience was clerking in New York in 1849. The next 
year he went to Boston, where, as entry clerk and then as bookkeeper, he worked 




HENRY n. HARROW'S. 



392 BIOGRAPHICAL 

in the large dry goods jobbing house of J. W. Blodgett & Co. for over two years, 
acquiring a business experience that was very valuable to him in after years. 
He greatly enjoyed the superior advantages in the way of books, lectures, 
music, etc., which a great city affords over a country town. He also heard 
with delight the early operas of Verdi, as well as those of Donizetti, Bellini, 
etc., as presented by Benedetti, Trufh, and other artists of that period, under 
the leadership of Max Maretzic. 

April 26th, 1852, Mr. Barrows sailed from New York on the steamer Illinois 
for California. The passage of the isthmus at that time was full of hardships, 
the connecting steamer on this side was the Golden Gate. Soon after arrival in 
San Francisco, Mr. Barrows went to the northern mines, going as far as Shasta; 
but, as the dry season had set in, he returned down the valley, working at haying 
at $100 a month on Thomas Creek, near Tehama. He reached San Francisco, 
July 31st, full of chills and fever, which the cold, harsh summer climate of that 
city, in contrast with the extreme heat of the Sacremento valley, only aggravated. 
He then went to San Jose, where he raised a crop of wheat and barley. At 
that time (1852-53) flour was very high, retailing at twenty-five cents a pound. 

In the fall of 1853 Mr. Barrows went to the southern mines, working at 
placer gold mining near Jamestown. Later he obtained an engagement as 
teacher of miusic in the Collegiate Institute in Benicia, remaining there until 
October, 1854, when the late Wilham Wolfskill, the pioneer, engaged him to 
teach a private school in his family at Los Angeles, from December, 1854, until 
the latter part of 1858. Among his pupils, besides the sons and daughters of 
Mr. Wolfskill, were John and Joseph C. Wolfskill, sons of his brother, Mathew; 
William R. and Robert Rowland; the children of Lemuel Carpenter, J. E. Pleas- 
ants, etc. In 1859-60 he cultivated a vineyard on the east side of the river. 
He was appointed United States Marshall for the southern district of California 
by President Lincoln in 1861, holding the office four years. In 1864 he engaged 
in the mercantile business, in which he continued about fifteen years. 

Mr. Barrows was married November 14th, 1860, to Juanita Wolfskill, who 
was born November 14th, 1841, and died January 31st, 1863, leaving a daughter, 
Alice Wolfskill Barrows, who was born July 16th, 1862, and who became the 
wife of Henry Guenther Weyse, October 2nd, 1888. Mrs. Juanita Barrows 
was a daughter of William and Magdalena (Lugo) Wolfskill. Mr. Wolfskill 
was born in Kentucky in 1798, of German and Irish parentage, and was one of 
the very earliest Am^erican pioneers of Los Angeles, having arrived here in Febru- 
ary, 1831. He died in this city October 3rd, 1866. His wife was born in Santa 
Barbara, California, the daughter of Jose Ygnacio Lugo and Dona Rafaela 
Romero de Lugo, Don Jose Ygnacio Lugo being a brother of Antonio Maria 
Lugo and of Dona Maria Antonia Lugo de Vallejo, who was the wife of Sergeant 
Vallejo and the mother of General M. G. Vallejo. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfskill were 
married at Santa Barbara in January, 1841; she died July 6th, 1862. There 
were born to them six children, viz.: Juanita Francisca, born in 1843 and be- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 393 

came the wife of Charles J. Shepherd; Joseph W., born in 1844. married Elena 
Pedrorena; Magdalena. born in 1846, married Frank Sabichi; Lewis born in 
1848, married Lomsa Dalton, daughter of Henry Dalton, the pioneer- and 
Rafaelita, who died in childhood. 

. T ^^""^TJ^'^' ^^^^' ^^'- ^^''°'''' ^^'"^^ ^^^'y Alice Workman, daughter 
of John D. Woodwcrth, and the widow of Thomas H. Workman, who was killed 
by the explosion of the steamer Ada Hancock in the bay of San Pedro April 23rd 
1863. She was born in Des Moines. Iowa, and died in Los Angeles March 9th' 
1868. leavmg two daughters: Ada Frances, who was born May 21st I865" 
and was married October 25th, 1890, to Rudolph G. Weyse (bv whom she has 
three children) ; and Mary Washington, who was born February ^22nd 1868 and 
died m infancy. The present wife of Mr. Barrow^s was Bessie A Greene a 
native of Utica, N. Y. They were married November 28, 1868 and have one 
son, Harry Prosper Barrows; the latter born December 14th, 1869 and married 
August 19th, 1893, to Bessie D. Bell, a native of Michigan. They have three 
children. 

Until the formation of the Republican partv Mr. Barrows was a Whi^. 
He voted for Fremont m 1856, and has voted for every Republican candidate 
for president since till 1900. when he voted for William L Bryan He believes 
that that great party, in its earlier years, made a glorious record as a champion 
of the rights of man and of constitutional liberty. But he has found occasion 
m common with many other original and sincere Republicans, to lament the 
departure of the party from its earlier simplicity and singleness of purpose m 
behalf of universal freedom, being dedicated wholly, as it was, "to the happiness 
of free and equal men." For many years prior to the '80s he took an active part 
m public education. For much of the time during fifteen vears he served as 
a member of the school board of this city. In 1867 he was 'elected city super- 
intendent, and m 1868, county superintendent. He has written much on many 
subjects for the local press, and especially on financial questions includin'o" 
resumption of specie payment, bimetallism, etc. He contributed one of the 
thirty-mne essays to the competitive contest invited in 1889 by M Henri Cer- 
nuschi on International Bimetallism. He also wrote philosophical essav m 
1904, entitled : "Cosmos or Chaos.^ Theism or Atheism;-' From 1856 for nearly 
ten years he was the regular paid Los Angeles correspondent of the San Fran- 
cisco Bnllciiu, then one of the most influential newspapers of the Pacific Coast. 

. J^u'. ^^''°'''' ^^' administered a number of large estates, including those 
of \\illiam Wolfskin, Captain Alexander Bell, Thomas C. Rhodes, and others 
He was appointed by the United States district court one of the commissioners 
to run the boundary line between the Providencia Rancho and that of the ex- 
Mission of San Fernando. Also, by appointment of the superior court he was 
one of the commissioners who partitioned the San Pedro Rancho which con- 
tained about twenty-five thousand acres. In 1868 he was president of the His- 
torical Society of Southern California, of which he was one of the founders 



394 r.IOGRAPHICAL 

and to the records of which he has contributed many valual)le papers of reminis- 
cences. He is also one of the charter members of founders of the Society of 
Los Angeles Pioneers. He wrote about one hundred sketches of early pioneers 
of Los Angeles, most of whcjm he knew personally, for the Illustrated History 
of Los Aiii^clcs County, issued in 1889 by the Lewis Publishing Co., of Chicago. 
He also wrote the text of the Illustrated History of Central California, published 
by the same company in 1893. Copies of both of these works may be found in 
the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Mr. Barrows has a strong conviction that every man and every woman 
should be a fully developed citizen; and that while all men and women should 
be guaranteed their natural equal rights and ec|ual privileges in order that they 
may be enabled as nearly as may be, to fight the battle of life on an equal footing 
so far, at least, as the state can guarantee such natural rights and privileges 
to all its citizens. He holds that every citizen also owes manifold obligations 
to the state and to the community in which he lives — obligations which, though 
they cannot be legally enforced, he is, morally at least, not entitled to shirk. 
"Who," says Mr. Barrows, "can imagine the beauty of that state in which every 
person, however humble his lot, enjoys, not only theoretically, but ])ractically, 
all the natural rights and privileges that every other person enjoys, and in which 
at the same time every person voluntarily and freely renders, proportionately 
to his ability and opportunity, to the state and to the community, all the varied 
obligations pertaining to his personal and particular sphere that the best citizens 
perform. There are myriad ways of doing good in the world open to every 
person, and there are myriad obligations which every person owes the com- 
munity which, if every person freely and faithfully performed according to his 
or her several abilities, this world would speedily become what it was intended 
to be, an earthly paradise." Loyalty to these principles and loyalty to the moral 
government of the universe and to the Great Being who upholds and rules that 
universe, Mr. Barrows adds, constitute his creed, his religion. In his opinion 
they are broad enough and true enough to serve as the basis of a universal re- 
ligion, of a creed which all men can subscribe to, and live bv, and, die by! 



John Charles Hemingw^ay, Clerk of Santa Monica, was born in the City 
of Chelsea, Suffolk County, Mass., October 19th, 1858, the son of John Hemingw^ay 
a farmer. He spent his boyhood in the city of Boston. He attended Trinity 
College, Dublin, Ireland. After leaving school he engaged in newspaper work 
as a reporter for the local press. Later, for a period of about ten years, he w^orked 
as a reporter on the leading daily papers of Chicago. In 1883 he came to Los 
Angeles and accepted a position in the same capacity on the Los Angeles Daily 
Herald. He followed journalism in the capacity of news correspondent until 
April, 1902, when he was elected City Clerk of Santa Monica. He was re-elected 
to the same office A])ril, 1907, under the Freeholders Charter. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



395 



November 10th, 1889, Mr. Hemingway married Miss Emma J. Hayden, a 
native of Portland, but from childhood a resident of East Los Angeles. They 
have one daughter, E. Mearle. 

Mr. Hemingway is a member of the F. and A. M., I. O. O. F. and B. P. O. E., 
of which latter organization he is Exalted Ruler. Mr. and Mrs. Hemingway are 
members of Saint Augustine Episcopal Church of this city. 

Santa Monica has no more popular citizen than J. C. Hemingway and his 
record as a public official is beyond reproach. 



(/\t my request, Dr. Orin Davis, a venerable and beloved citizen of Sawtelle, 
has favored me with the following autobiographical review of some of the inci- 
dents of a long, useful and exemplary 
life.— The Author.) 

In the township of York, Living- 
ston County, N. Y., in 1823, forests 
covered the landscape with their leafy 
drapery excepting here and there an 
open clearing made by an early settler, 
and upon one of these there stood a 
log house with a clay-stick chimney 
and from within the curling smoke 
rolled up from an ample fireplace 
whose broad, uneven hearth-stone 
was quarried fiom the earth near by. 

From this chimney place hung 
the iron crane, embellished by several 
swivel jointed hooks and trammels 
of variable lengths, equipped for cul- 
inary service ; doors on wooden hinges 
and fastened by wooden latches; in 
one corner a rudely constructed lad- 
der, with holes and round sticks made 
to fit by the jackknife, led to cham- 
bers aloft, which were divided by 

calico curtains and white sheets; below, in the opposite corner, a caseless clock, 
from whose motor weights Avere suspended by cords communicating with hands 
that pointed to figures on the dial and whose bell strikingly announced the 
passing of golden hours. On the uppermost border of the plate was the smiling 
image of the moon just rising from invisible depths. Such were some of the 
environments on June 26th, when the helpless, half animate, new-born child of 
Asa and Sallie Clarke Davis was forced into this mysterious earth of ours to en- 
counter the hazards of life's alluring temptations and bitter sufferings — the sub- 
ject of this brief sketch. 




ORIiX DA\'IS, M.D. 



396 BIOGRAPHICAL 

My father was not only a farmer by occupation, but also a nurseryman, 
and I had training in raising for sale the better kind of grafted fruit trees. As 
years rolled on, the old log house was supplanted by a large frame one, the colts 
grew to be horses and were harnessed to useful undertakings, loads of fruit trees 
brought cash, and with this constant unfolding of animal and vegetable life, 
the subject of this sketch also advanced and resolved that his future should be 
further unfolded in the study and practice of medicine. 

Early I became interested in the remedial properties of the then little 
known, indigenous nritcria nicdini. comprising many of those important domestic 
agents that had gained no standard remedial reputation in the dispensaries. 
Three years were devoted to the study of the regular text books in medicine 
preparatcjry to attendance n\ion two full courses of lectures in a regularly chartered 
college. I finally passed the quiz successfully and was honored with the Degree 
of Doctor of Medicine, in June, 1846. Immediately I entered upon the arduous 
duties of active practice and January, 1847, was elected to edit a monthly journal, 
the Eclectic Medical Reformer, published at Dansville, New York. In the follow- 
ing June I co-operated with two medical graduates and two professors from 
Cincinnati College in a preparatory two months' course of instruction for medical 
students who later intended to be better equipped for the college curriculum. 
Obstetricy and diseases of women and children was the department assigned to 
me for their instruction. 

On the following and during succeeding years, classes of students attended 
four months 'courses of medical instruction in Central Medical College at Roches- 
ter, N. Y., wdiere liberal principles of medicine were advocated by our faculty 
and the Eclectic Medical and Surgical "foiirual, until the college and its educational 
interests were transferred to New York City where a new charter was obtained. 
There it still continues to flourish, a successful exponent of medical progress, 
reflecting honor upon the cause of American medicine. 

In 1854 I established a Health Institute at Attica, New York, and for fifty 
years continued as its proprietor, treating chronic diseases of both sexe=, making 
pelvic ailments of women a specialty. These remedial efforts were successful 
so that previous to the Spanish War, which greatly enlarged our domain, my 
patrons were living in every state and territory of the Union, with the single 
exception of Alaska. In the meantime my contributions to medical literature 
embraced a wide range of topics, some of which were published by the state 
legislature of New York, also in various medical journals and thus obtained a 
wide circulation. One family work on popular medicine which I wrote is report- 
ed in numbers of copies published to exceed the two million mark. 

In 1874 I was elected president of the New York State Eclectic Medical 
Society and, among other timely topics, presented the idea originating high 
license as a means of reducing and ultimately destroying profitable traffic in 
alcoholic stimulants. Not only at the time of my inaugural address, but ever 



BIOGRAPHICAL 397 

since then it has engaged attention of temperance reformers and has continued 
to be a live issue and contending factor in discussions in temperance organizations. 

For more than thirty-five years I have been a Master Mason, a conscientious 
behever in the enduring truths and upright principles inculcated by this worthy 
order, and have been a living witness of its benign influence and of the incalcula- 
ble good resulting not only to its faithful followers, but upon society at large. 

I have ever taken a deep interest in church music. In religious organizations 
its salutary, uplifting influence upon the community is second only to the gospel 
ministry of truth. Poetry wedded to inusic renders most expressively the yearn- 
ing of the emotive faculties which hopefully and confidingly bring us in close 
spiritual relation with our Heavenly Father. While the grand truths of science 
and religion are celebrated in song, yet it is such faculties as sympathy, joy, hope, 
confidence, love and devotion when blended by music, that raise the thoughts to 
a heavenly sphere — to the spiritual verities that ennoble the soul, giving increasing 
breadth and basis to universal charity. In matters of faith and spiritual know- 
ledge I believe in continual advancement, daily demonstrating in spirit the quality 
of life's purposes; by self-denial, repressing selfishness and perfect confidence 
in the Love that will finally be all in all. 

I attribute much of my success throughout life to the inspiring presence and 
genius of my beloved wife, who in 1843, for better for w^orse, joined her life and 
fortune with my own. Through all succeeding events, her counsel, timely assist- 
ance, punctuality, order and regularity in her every day duties, accompanied 
with evenness of spirit, made opportunities possible for the better devotion 
of my time and talents to the arduous duties of my profession. 

One daughter and two sons are living and one son passed away in early 
childhood. Many are the sweet remembrances that crowd upon the memory 
of a long and eventful life — of professional friendships and social endearments 
that are consciously reproduced and cheer us while passing the evening of our 
days in the quiet of out semi-tropic home in Southern California. 



Daniel Alton, a substantial citizen of Sawtelle, is a native of the State 
of New^ York. He was born in Jefferson County, February 20, 1843. His 
father, Christopher Alton, was a prosperous farmer and a native of County 
Limerick, Ireland, who came to America about the year 1828 at thirteen years 
of age and located in Canada where he spent his youth. At Kingston, Canada, 
he married Miss Ann Montgomery, a native of County Mayo. They came to 
New York and located on a farm near Watertown, the county seat of Jefferson 
County. They raised a family of four sons and one daughter, the oldest of whom 
was Adam, who married and located in Waudena County, Minn., and there 
died at about the age of fifty-nine years. Elizabeth married Charles Bloss and 
lived in Munroe Countv, Wisconsin. She is now deceased. Daniel, the subject 



398 BIOGRAPHICAL 

of this sketch is the third born. Michael, the fourth born, is now (1908) a resi- 
dent of Clark County, Wisconsin, and lives near Neelsville. Joseph, the youngest, 
lives at Watertown, Munroc County, Wisconsin. 

Mr. Alton left home when a lad and went to Hartford, Washington County, 
Wisconsin. Later he lived in Janeau County. There he enlisted in the Union 
Army to fight the rebellion, June 21st, 1861, went forthwith to the front 
engaged in the second Battle of Bull Run where he received a severe wound in 
the right thigh. From the battlefield he was conveyed to the Military Hospital 
at West Philadelphia where he was confined until April 14th, 1863, where- 
upon he was honorably discharged from the army by reason of his disability 
and returned to Wisconsin. In 1865 he went to Minnesota and located in 
the town of Tenhaussen, Martin County, where for thiity-two years he engaged 
successfully in general agriculture. 

On March 22nd, 1866, Mr. Alton married Miss Mary E. Dennett and they 
raised and educated a family of six children all born on the old Minnesota home- 
stead. Lorenzo, the eldest, was born February 1 1th, 1867 and died in December, 
1871. Carrie, born October 29th, 1869, is now Mrs. Fred Howland, of Serra 
Vista, Santa Monica. Alfred D., born April 13th, 1871, lives on the old home- 
stead. Josephine, born February 25th, 1874, is now Mrs. Abraham Kyle, of 
Tenhaussen, Minnesota. Alonzo E., born January 5th, 1877, lives at the old 
home in Minnesota. Herbert D., born May 22nd, 1883, now resident of Spokane 
Washington, and Lester Lee, born August 26th, 1889, lives at Serra Vista, Santa 
Monica. The family was reared under the best of social influences and all re- 
ceived a thorough High School or college education. 

Mr. Alton has been twice married. The present Mrs. Alton was America 
Weaver Lee, a member of a branch of the famous Lee family of Virginia. Mr. 
Alton's life has been one of great industry and business activity. Leaving the 
parental roof when a mere lad to make his own way in the world, he soon there- 
after promptly responded to the country's call to arms in defense and preservation 
of the Union, and with shattered constitution returned to the responsibilities of 
active civil citizenship. With meagre means he engaged in farming in a new and 
frontier country, and by diligent endeavor, aggressive yet conservative enterprise 
he became one of the most successful and influential farmers in his county. 
He also, as a matter of civic duty, took an active part in shaping the policies and 
conducting the public afi^airs of his county and was for seventeen years Supervisor 
of Tenhaussen Township and chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Martin 
County. Notwithstanding his manifold private responsibilities and his public 
duties, Mr. Alton found time for extensive travel, having visited nearly every 
state in the Union making, meantime, thirteen trips from the Mississippi River to 
California, thoroughly prospecting the country for the most desirable home 
location. Sawtelle may be congratulated upon the fact that Mr. Alton, after 
so much deliberation, has finally taken up his home in its midst, where he has 
invested many thousands of dollars in city realty and income property. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



399 



Alvin N. Archer, a well known pioneer citizen of Ocean Park, Santa Monica, 
is a native of the State of Maine, born in the town of Charlotte, Washington 
County, October 23rd, 1844. His father, John N. Archer, a shoemaker by trade 
and occupation, a native of the same 
state, married Abigal Hughes and 
they raised a family of four sons and 
four daughters of whom Alvin N. 
was the fifth. Abigal Hughes was 
the daughter of John Hughes, a 
native of Wales, G. B. He was a 
man of great physical strength and 
a professional athlete. Young Archer 
left home at eighteen years of age 
and in 1862 entered the Union Army 
for the Civil War. He was mustered 
into the service at the town of Lincoln, 
Penobscot County; First Maine Artil- 
lery, Battery L, which w^as assigned 
to the Army of the Potomac. His 
regiment was held in the defense of 
Washington until April, 1864, and 
was then sent to the front under the 
command of General W. S. Hancock. 
They participated in all the bloody 
fighting involved in the Siege of 
Peteisburg and it is a matter of 

public record that the First Maine Artillery sustained a laigei per cent of losses 
than any other in the Fedeial Army. In one instance, when assaulting the 
breastworks, Mr. Archer's battery came out with only seven out of a total of 
sixty man who made the charge. Mr. Archer received two wounds during the 
war and still carries a musket ball under his shoulder blade. He mustered out 
in July, 1865, at Philadelphia, Pa., and soon thereafter returned home. For a 
time he followed lumbering and in 1877 went to Michigan, located at Midland 
and worked for the Flint & Pere Marquette Ry. Co. In 1879 he removed to 
Madison, South Dakota, and worked on a bonanza farm. In 1891 he came west 
to Oregon and in 1892 to Southern California. He was in poor health and located 
at Santa Monica. For the Y. M. C. A. he erected the first building in South 
Santa Monica in 1894. For four years he was local agent of the Santa Fe Ry. 
Company. Later he held the office of deputy constable and was also the first 
uniformed policeman of the new town. He was the prime factor in organizing 
fire company No. 2, and for years was its president. He was elected and served 
as a member of the board of Freeholders that draughted the present city charter 




AL\'1X X. ARCHER. 



400 LUOGRAPHICAL 

of Santa Monica. He is at present member of the City Fire Commission having 
in charge all matters relating to the present efficient fire department. 

Mr. Archer married at Ocean Park, in 1892, Miss Luetta Litch, a native of 
Fredonia, N. Y., and a daughter of Joseph Litch, a one time extensive farmer 
and land owner of Chautauqua County, N. Y. He, however, met with financial 
reverses and died in middle life. The mother soon passed away leaving the 
daughter in the guardianship of her present husband. Mr. and Mrs. Archer 
have four children — Bula June, the first child born of American parents in South 
Santa Monica; Reed M.; Glen E.; Altha F. The Archer home is No. 245 Hill 
Street. Mr. Archer is one of the influential and progressive pioneers of Ocean 
Park, Santa Monica, and takes a lively interest in the public welfare of his adopted 
citv. 



Daxiel Meloy was born at Harrisburg, Pa., September 15th, 1833, the 
son of John Meloy, a farmer who settled on the western frontier in Ohio at 
what is now the City of Wooster, in 1834. In 1836 he removed to Mercer 
County, Ohio, and settled on wild land in a dense wilderness. There he developed 
a good farm. In 1841 he went to Whitney County Ind., and located near the 
county seat, Columbia, and developed an eighty acre farm. Later he made a new- 
location in Kosciusko County, Ind., which became the permanent family home. 

He married Mary Smith at Harrisburg, Pa., and they raised a family of 
thirteen children. He died on the old homestead in 1891 at eighty-five years 
of age. 

Daniel lived at home until twenty-one years of age. He then spent two 
years in Illinois and two years in Iowa. Iowa then had no railroads and corn was 
worth but eight cents per bushel. Upon the breaking out of the Civil War he 
enlisted in the Federal army, Co. B, 52nd. Ind. Vol. Inf., and went to the front. 
He was about nineteen months in the Fifteenth Army Corps, under General 
Thomas, did some lively fighting at the battles of Gettysburg, was in the fight at 
Shanondoah, Winchester and at Harpers Ferry. He remained in the army 
until the war was over. He had two brothers, Seth and Andrew, who responded 
to the first call for volunteers. The latter lost his life at Corinth, Miss. 

After the war, Mr. Meloy emigrated to Kansas and located near Senaca, the 
county seat of Numah County, and purchased one hundred sixty acres of land. 
Later he lived for fifteen years at Fort Scott, Kansas. In 1877 he came to Cali- 
fornia and lived a short time at Pasadena. In 1878 he located near Santa Monica, 
at what is now^ Twentieth Street, near Colorado Avenue, where he owns eight 
good residence lots. 

Mr. Meloy married in Kosciosko County, Ind., Miss Amarylis F. Thomas, a 
daughter of George Thomas, by whom he has four children living — Tryphosa F., 
Horace T. Meloy, a well known and successful business man of Santa Monica; 
Rosetta H. anl David C. Mrs. Meloy died August 3rd, at sixty-four years of age. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 401 

Henry X. Goetz, for nearly a quarter of a century a resident of California 
and since 1888 an active and influential citizen of Santa Monica, is a native of 
the Province of Ontario, Canada, where he was born August 7th, 1861. His 
father, Andrew Goetz, was of German parentage, and spent his entire life in 
Ontario. He was a thrifty farmer whose parents emigrated from Strasburg 
Germany, about the time of his birth and were pioneers in the early settlement 
of the country. Henry Goetz lived on the home farm until 1881, when he started 
out single handed and alone to carve his own future in the business world 
He went first to the town of Walkerville, Ontario, and entered the employ of 
Hiram Walker & Sons, founders of the town. His services were so valuable to 
his employers that, although but a youth, they placed him in charge of a crew 
of men. He remained with Hiram Walker & Sons two years and acquired valu- 
able knowledge and experience in various departments of the building and me- 
chanical business. The years 1883 and 1884 he spent in Victoria British 
Columbia. In November, 1885, he came to CaHfornia, spending eleven months 
m San Francisco. The following year (1886) he came to Southern California 
and spent one year in Los Angeles, after which he located permanently in Santa 
Monica. 

Mr. Goetz found Santa Monica just awakening from a protracted period of 
lethargy, the result of a miscarriage of ambitious plans for building here a har- 
bor city. The completion of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. into Los 
Angeles this year resulted in the influx of armies of people overland from the 
east, the spontaneous advance in realty and the greatest land boom the country 
has ever witnessed. Santa Monica began to expand and Mr. Goetz became active- 
ly interested in her civic, political and business development. He has erected 
a large number of Santa Monica's finest business blocks, public buildings and 
residences. He built the Santa Monica Bank building in 1888, and lat'^er the 
Academy of the Holy Names, corner of Third Street and Arizona Avenue He 
has built several of Santa Monica's finest school buildings, notably, the Lincoln 
High School and the Washington Buildings. He also built the North Beach 
Bath House, the Santa Monica City Hall, the PubHc Library, the Bundy Block 
and the Ocean Park City Hall and Fire House. The Dudley Building, corner 
of Third Street and Oregon Avenue, is evidence of the thoroughly architectural 
and substantial manner in which Mr. Goetz pursues his business, both as a de- 
signer and builder. In the building of Venice, Mr. Goetz took an active part 
He bmlt the Venice Bath House, the lake and grand canal system, in thirty 
days time, under rush orders; also, at the same time, the St. Marks Hotel, to- 
gether with a number of other buildings, a phenomenal feat in view of all' the 
circumstances. 

Few citizens of Santa Monica have been more active and influential in 
public affairs than Mr. Goetz. He served four years, 1893 to 1897, on the Board 
of City Trustees and was Chairman of the Judiciary and Ordinance Committee 
hkewise Chairman of the Committee on Streets and Parks, in this latter capacity 



402 BIOGRAPHICAL 

introducing and testing the present splendid system of petrolithic oil paving for 
streets and roads now adopted throughout Southern California. To this work 
he devoted much time and serious attention and the results must stand as a 
monument to his energy and wisdom as an officer and public servant. Mr. 
Goetz, in July, 1908, was elected president of the Santa Monica Board of Trade 
to succeed Mr. J. J. Seymour. Mr. Goetz was married in 1887, in Los Angeles, 
to Miss Catherine G. Woods, a native of San Francisco. They have three child- 
ren — Joseph H., Mary and Milton. He is a member of the local lodge of Foresters 
of America, the Knights of Columbus and the B. P. O. E. For many years 
a consistent Democrat in politics, he is not radically partisan but stands rather 
for good men for office and good public measures, not party expediences. The 
Goetz family residence, one of the most substantial and artistic in the city, 
is on North Third Street, No. 1043. 



George Boehme, pioneer of Santa Monica, is a native of Alsace-Lorraine, 
then a province of France, and was born in the year 1829. He came to America 
in 1850, landing at New Orleans. In 1852 he came to California and spent 
several months in the mines. In 1854 he established himself in the tinning and 
plumbing business, in San Francisco. In 1855, he removed to Sacramento, and 
engaged there in the same line of business for a period of twenty years. He there 
assisted in laying the corner stone of the present State Capitol building, and later 
was assigned the contract for the copper roofing of the same. 

In 1865 was appointed lieutenant in the Sacramento Hussars, Fourth Brigade 
National Guards. 

In 1875 he came to Santa Monica and disembarked from the first vessel that 
touched at the first Santa Monica wharf. He immediately invested in about 
$2,000 worth of city lots, purchasing the same at the first auction held. From 
that date he took an active part in the material advancement of his chosen home 
city. In 1887, he built the Boehme Block, on Second Street, near Utah Avenue, 
which was at that time the most pretentious business block in the city. For 
many years he carried on a successful hardware and plumbing business and became 
a large holder of real estate, both business and residential. 

He held the office of City Treasurer from 1892 to 1895, and was succeeded 
by Eugene W. Boehme, his son, who held the office four terms. During recent 
years he has led a retired, quiet life. 

Mr. Boehme married in 1860 Miss Mary Kalgarif, a native of Ireland, who 
came to New Orleans, at eighteen years of age, and in 1855, with a brother, to 
California, and lived at Sacramento. They have three sons and a daughter, 
George C, Henry M., Eugene W., well known business men of Santa Monica, and 
Adaline. 

Mr. Bcjehme has been an active and successful business man, and commands 
the respect and esteem of all who know him. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 403 

JoH\ Metcalf, capitalist and retired citizen of Venice, has been an impor- 
tant factor in the upbuilding and commercial development of the Canal City. 
He is a native of Yorkshire, England and was born February 9th, 1842. His 
father, Thomas Metcalf, was a lead miner by occupation and was reared to his 
calling in the mining regions of Yorkshire. He came to America in 1849, bringing 
his family with him, and located at Dubuque, Iowa, his destination. He soon, 
however, located almost opposite Dubuque across the Mississippi River in South- 
western Wisconsin in the town of Benton, La P'ayette County, where he purchased 
a farm upon which he lived until his death in 1855. He was about forty-three 
years of age. 

Young Metcalf grew up at Benton and commenced the battle of life at the 
tender age of thirteen years. He first worked in the lead mines of the Galena 
district near his home, for fifty cents per day, and by studied industry and frugal 
habits coupled with intelligent economy, he gradually improved his financial con- 
dition. In 1864 he joined the Union Army and went to Texas. He was in the 
service one year when the war came to a close and, returning home, he turned 
his "sword into a plough share" and went to farming. He raised and bought 
cattle and engaged in the butchering business. In order to better his field for 
operation he sold his property in La Fayette County and removed to Hardin 
County, Iowa, and later to Sioux City, buying and selling real estate. He finally 
became interest in property in Obrien County, northeast of Sioux City and located 
at Paullina, then a small town in a new but promising country. He engaged in 
the real estate business and also became heavily interested in grain and stock 
farms. In 1883, he estabhshed the present Bank of Paullina of which he has 
since been the owner. Latei , in 1902, he purchased the Bank of Merrill in Ply- 
mouth County, Iowa, of which he is still the owner. Mr. Metcalf has always 
pursued a liberal yet intelligently conservative business policy and he makes and 
values money for the good it can be made to accomplish for mankind at large. 
By judicious investment in worthy enterprises he makes it the force that opens up 
new industries and developes the country. 

Mr. Metcalf first came to California in the winter of 1893-4 and visited 
various sections of the State. He finally purchased fifty-four acres of land of 
Antonio Machado, it being a portion of the La Bullona Grant. He bought it 
for its value for alfalfa land, as an investment. The building of the Los Angeles 
Pacific Short Line R. R., and the development of the beautiful city of Venice 
brought this land into demand for other purposes and in 1905 it was platted as 
the Venice Gateway Tract into three hundred and fifty residence lots of the usual 
size. The major portion of the tract has been sold to home builders and to others 
as investments. The streets are sixty feet wide beside twenty feet on each side 
is devoted to sidewalk and parking purposes. The Ocean Park Cit}- Hall is 
located at Venice Gateway, the land for which was donated to the city. 

Mr. Metcalf is one of the incorporators and a stock holder in the Venice Shoe 
Manufacturing Company, Inc., and a director of the corporation. He erected 




W. B. B. TAYLOR. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 405 

at an expense of about $12,000, the beautiful and substantial factory building 
which he leases to the new industry at a nominal rental price. 

In 1869 Mr. Metcalf married Miss Mary A. Simpson, of Dubuque, Iowa. 
She died at Paullina, Iowa, in 1892. In 1894 he married Mrs. Bell R. Carpenter. 
They maintain their old home at Paullina, Iowa, and have a beautiful modern 
California home at Venice Gateway. 



Wendell B. B. Taylor, pioneer attorney of Sawtelle, was born at St. 
Johnsbury, Vermont, May 4th, 1875. He is the son of Rev. George Taylor, 
pastor of the Baptist Church of Sawtelle. On the maternal side he is a sen of the 
Revolution. At the age of seven years, with his parents, he moved to Maine, 
where he lived three years, when the family determined to come to California, 
arriving here in December, 1885. After residing nine months in Los Angeles 
the family moved to Pasadena, where over fifteen years of Mr. Taylor's life was 
spent. There he received his education. After being graduated from the Pasa- 
dena High School, in the Class of 1897, and spending one year at Pomona College, 
Claremont, he took a thorough course of bookkeeping and stenography and enter- 
ed upon the study of law at the law offices of Hahn & Hahn, the leading attorneys 
of Pasadena, spending five years in hard study and office work, receiving a 
thorough training in both theory and practice. He was admitted to the bar by 
the Supreme Court of the State of California on the 20th day of October, 1903, at 
which time he enjoyed a good practice, which has since grown. His practice 
includes all phases of the law, both civil and criminal, but he is making a specialty 
of corporation and probate law and conveyancing. Since coming to Sawtelle he 
incorporated all the established churches of the place, the Sawtelle Water Com- 
pany, the Sawtelle Cemetery Association, beside other corporations, while his 
probate matters carry him frequently into the courts. These, together with his 
office practice, make him a busy man. 

He came to Sawtelle about the middle of April, 1902, and commenced work 
for Mr. W. E. Sawtelle, then manager of the Pacific Land Company, and remained 
with him until they formed the real estate co-partnership of Sawtelle & Company, 
which did a good business for a number of years. Mr. Sawtelle then became 
associated with the Citizens State Bank and Mr. Taylor became the first City 
Attorney of the City of Sawtelle and turned his attention solely to the practice 
of law and to fire insurance. 

Mr. Taylor has served as Clerk of the Sawtelle School District and Sawtelle 
City School District Boards for about six years ; has been two terms Chief Templar 
of the Sawtelle Good Templars Lodge ; is serving his fourth term as Clerk of the 
Baptist Church of Sawtelle; served one term as Noble Grand of the Sawtelle 
Lodge, No. 128, 1. 0. 0. P., and is serving his sixth year as Secretary of the Sunday 
School Convention of the Los Angeles Baptist Association. 



406 BTOGRAPmCAL 

On the 8th day of June, 1904, Miss Carrie AdeHa Hoyt and Mr. Taylor were 
united in marriage at the home of the bride's uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. O. E. 
Goodale, at Los Angeles. Mr. Goodale was for fifteen years the efficient chief 
civil engineer at the Pacific Branch, N. H. D. V. S., which position he resigned 
to take up architectural work. During this period Mrs. Taylor was a member 
of Mr. Goodale 's family. She was a hard worker in the Protestant Chapel of the 
Home, as choir leader and organist and her activity in religious and patriotic 
circles of the institution made her acquaintance an extensive one. Mr. and Mrs. 
Taylor reside at Pine Knoll, No. 654 West Oregon Avenue. They have two small 
children. 

Mr. Taylor has two brothers, both married. Mr. Hawley O. Taylor is 
proficient as a civil and mining engineer, and is now a student at Cornell Univer- 
sity. Mr. Almo R. Taylor, with his family, reside at present at Sawtelle. He is 
chief artist for the Neuner Company, Los Angeles. 

In the long struggle for the incorporation of the City of Sawtelle, Mr. Taylor 
was a hard worker for the cause of incorporation, which finally triumphed. 
After the incorporation of the city and election of the first board of trustees and 
officers, the disincorporationists petitioned for an election to disincorporate 
under the law provided for that purpose. Mr. Taylor, as the first city attorney, 
rendered an opinion that the board of trustees were without jurisdiction to enter- 
tain the petition or call the election on the ground that there was no method of 
ascertaining the sufficiency of the petition as to the requisite number of qualified 
electors signing the same, as there had as yet been no municipal election in the 
City of Sawtelle within the meaning of the disincorporation act, the election to 
incorporate the city being a special election and not a municipal election. The act 
provided that the petition must be signed by qualified electors of the city equal 
in number to one-half the vote cast at the last municipal election held therein. 
The matter was carried into the courts and the opinion of Mr. Taylor was sus- 
tained. 



James Stephen Talkington is a retired resident of this city, a native of 
Crawford County, Ark., born at Cedar Creek, twelve miles north of Van Buren, 
the county seat, September 20th, 1844. His father was Allen A. Talkington, a 
farmer, a native of Todd County, Ky., who pioneered on the western frontier in 
Arkansas, raising a family of six children. He came to California in 1869, lived 
and died at Orange, Orange County, his decease taking place in 1903, when he 
was ninety-three years of age. The mother of the subject of this sketch was 
Elizabeth Nichols, also a native of Kentucky. She died in 1884, at seventy-four 
years of age, at her home in Orange, Cal. Mr. Talkington has a brother, Simeon 
N., of No. 323 Tenth Street, Santa Monica. Three sisters are living: Mrs. Marga- 
ret Marshall, widow, .\o. 231 West Sixt> -second St., Los Angeles; Mrs. Ethelinda 
Yarnell, widow, of Orange, Cal., and Mrs. James V. Sutton, of Orange. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



407 



Mr. Talkington, at nineteen years of age, May 10th, 1864, joined the Con- 
federate Army. It was, however, under a misconception of the true condition 
of aifairs, and he soon made a trip into Mexico through Southwest Texas, and 
took a hand in the revolution then in progress in that country, encountering 
much hardship and adventure. He returned home in August, 1865. The 
family soon thereafter came overland with ox teams and covered wagons, Mr. 
Talkington driving a team of four yoke of oxen, with a "Prairie Schooner," 
the entire distance. They located and lived three years in the mountains of 
San Diego county. In 1869 they removed to Orange county, where the parents 
died, and a portion of the family still reside. Mr. Talkington later lived at 
Tropico, and also later in Los Angeles. In 1893, he located in Santa Monica, 
and now lives on 216 Arizona Avenue, between Second and Third Streets. 



There are few cities on the Pacific Coast that have attached to their citizen- 
ship a larger percentage of well-to-do and the wealthy men of the country than 
has Santa Monica. Bernard Quinn is 
one of the recent acquisitions to this most 
thrifty colony. Mr. Quinn is a native of 
Ireland, having been born in County 
Armagh in 1837. His father, Michael 
Quinn, died in Ireland and the widow, 
with seven children came to America, 
locating in Allegheny County, Pa., about 
twenty-one miles above the city of Pitts- 
burg. Here the mother died at the age 
of about fifty years. Young Quinn grew 
to manhood in Allegheny County and 
when ten years of age learned the business 
of operating a stationary engine, pursuing 
that calling for several years. In the 
year 1856, at the age of nineteen, he came 
west to the territory of Nebraska. Here 
he did a freighting business with teams 
and wagons for the United States Govern- 
ment, transporting supplies to the troops 
garrisoned at Fort Benton. 

In 1864 he, with a brother, Charles, 
came still further westward to Montana. 

The transportation was made with a train of twenty-hve emigrant wagons, each 
drawn by five yokes of oxen, young Quinn driving the lead team. The Quinn 
brothers owned six of these outfits. They located about one hundred miles 
north of what is now the citv of Helena and engaged in minin"' witli \-erv indift'er- 




HERXARD OUINN. 



408 BIOGRAPHICAL 

ent success. In 1867 they went to Salt Lake City, where they purchased of the 
Mormons one hundred and sixty cows and calves. This stock they drove north 
into Montana and for about fifteen years engaged in stock raising in that state. 
Their range covered a stretch of country nine miles square, one of the richest 
and best watered in the region and they made the business profitable. In 1888 
they disposed of all their stock interests and went to Butte City where they 
invested heavily in city property. The brother died in Butte City in May, 1897, 
at 78 years of age. 

Mr. Quinn prospered in business and acquired some of the best realty holdings 
in the city of Butte. By reason of physical disabilities, the results of exposure 
in the vigorous climate of Montana, Mr. Quinn, after extensive traveling, came 
to California and in 1908 purchased a delightful home, retiring from active busi- 
ness life. In 1894 Mr. Quinn married Miss Bell Durnan, a native of Philadelphia, 
Pa., and a daughter of Charles Durnan, a boatman on the Erie Canal. Mr. and 
Mrs. Quinn have one son, Victor John Quinn, born in Butte City, Montana, 
January 23rd, 1897. The family home is at Ninth and Arizona Avenue. 
'■^5 While residents of Nebraska the Quinn brothers took a prominent part in 
the warfare against the Indians of the Platte River Valley. They were typical 
and enterprising pioneers and brought the first harvesting machine into that 
country. When they finally went to Montana they took with them two Cham- 
pion mowing and harvesting machines, the first ever seen in that country. 
These machines were an innovation, and the enterprising Quinns had more w^ork 
than they could do cutting hay at $35.00 per day. Mr. Quinn is a member 
of the Society of Montana Pioneers and a devout member of the Catholic Church. 



Samuel L. Berkley, successful druggist of Santa Monica, was born in 
the town of Lowell, Muskingum County, Ohio, March 30th, 1864. His father, 
Thomas J. Berkley, was a native of Frederick County, Va., and there spent his 
boyhood and youth. He left home when a young man and located at Low'cll, 
Ohio, where he engaged somewhat extensively in the milling business until 
1871. He there married Nancy De Long, and there six daughters and three 
sons were born. In 1871 the family removed to Virginia and lived at Winchester, 
Frederick County, until 1875, when they came west to Harrison County, Iowa. 
Samuel L. Berkley is the sixth child of the family. He was seven years old 
when the family left Ohio to live in Virginia and eleven years old when they 
located in Iowa. He attended the public schools of Winchester, Va., and finished 
in the Missouri Valley High School. He learned the drug business at Woodbine, 
la., and there spent about twenty years in the business. He married at Wood- 
bine, in 1888, Miss Ruby A. Kling, daughter of Jacob R. and Emily Bliss Kling, 
of Troy Center, Walworth County, Wisconsin, and they have three sons, Hugh 
Kling, Laurence Jay, and Robert De Long. 

Mr. and Mrs. Berkley are members of the Baptist Church. He is a member 
of the Woodmen of the World. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 409 

R. F. McClellan, capitalist and influential citizen of Sawtelle, a native of 
the State of Maine, was born in the town of Brownville. Piscataqua Countv 
April 2 1st, 1859. His father, John McClellan, was the son of Scottish parents who 
were pioneers of the ' ' Pine Tree State ; ' ' located in Piscataqua County where they 
took an active part in the early developments of that far famed pine timber 
country. 

John McClellan grew up in the vicinity of Brownville and became thorough- 
ly identified with its business growth and there married Miss Emily A Mayo and 
with their six children came west to the timbered regions of Northern Minnesota 
m the year 1867. They located in the town of Princeton, where the family of 
five sons and two daughters grew up. In 1868, the father, while on a prospecting 
trip into the timbered wilderness of the Upper Mississippi River Valley died 
under circumstances never fully ascertained by the family. 

At thirteen years of age young Reuben F. McClellan commenced work in 
the lumber woods, doing whatever work came to hand. He acquired a thorough 
knowledge of the logging and lumber business. At the age of nineteen he em- 
barked m the business on his own account, getting out timber by contract on 
Rum river tributary to the Upper Mississippi, and was thus engaged for several 
years. Later he dealt extensively in timber lands with offices at Princeton 

He finally decided to enter upon a business enteiprise that had for sometime 
appealed to his aggressive and somewhat adventurous spirit and accordingly 
orgamzed what later became known to the mining world as the McClellan party 
for the purpose of prospecting the undeveloped mineral country of Alaska He 
enlisted seven "good men and true" of his personal acquaintance in his home 
town of Princeton. 

Mr. McClellan had devoted much time and thought to a some^vhat critiral 
investigation of mining developments in Alaska— that new field of mineral 
developments-and had selected a place of destination, shown on the maps as 
the head of Copper River. The party left Princeton in the month of April 1898 
and via Seattle (where they outfitted) proceeded by steamer to a point 'about 
600 miles northwest of Sitka, where they disembarked on a bleak and forbiddinc. 
shore, m six feet of snow, where, as yet no human foot had trod, but where now 
stands the new and thrifty town of Valdez, having a population of about 6 000 
people. From this point they crossed the Valdez Glacier, a mountain of ice and 
snow some thirty miles in length, each man making his way independent of others 
drawing a sled freighted with 1,400 pounds of provisions and camping equipment' 
and by relay mg succeeded in getting into the field with about 1,400 pounds each' 
Ihey towed their boats up the main channel, making at best onlv an avera-e of 
about one mile a day. ' ^ 

It was May first when they struck a tributary to the Copper River about 
one hundred miles above its outlet and the same distance from its source Here 
they tarried long enough to construct boats from spruce timber that grew alon- 
the stream, whip-sawing the lumber therefrom, and they then ascended the main 



410 BIOGRAPHICAL 

valley of the Copper River to it^ head waters. Two hundred miles into the in- 
terior they opened camp in the month of July and commenced prospecting. 
Gold was found but not in paying quantities. 

The party then divided and Mr. McClellan, with four of his comrades, 
crossed the country a distance of five hundred miles onto the Yukon River, mak- 
ing their own trail through a barren and forbidding country. They were the 
first white men to pass over that route. They arrived at Dawson August 24th, 
returning that fall to the Copper River Valley, finally discovering and locating 
what is known to be the most extensive and valuable copper deposit in the world. 

Mr. McClellan soon thereafter went to New York, made known his discoveries 
to heavy eastern capitalists, who at great expense inspected the property, the 
result of which is the capitalization of a company that has set aside twenty-five 
million dollars for the construction of a railroad from tidewater to the copper 
beds and equipment of a line of vessels to connect therewith for the purpose of 
transporting the ore of the Great Bonanza Copper Mine to the world's market. 
In this stupenduous enterprise are enlisted the Guggenheims, the New York 
copper kings; the Havermaiers, and other capitalists of almost limitless means. 
Mr. McClellan realized a laige sum of money on this deal and still retains a valu- 
able interest in that country. This deal was consummated in 1901, following 
which Mr. McClellan spent his winters in California and, in 1905, located with 
his family at Sawtelle where he has made liberal investments in city realty. 

In 1906, he, with W. E. Sawtelle and others, organized the Citizens State 
Bank of Sawtelle, of which Mr. McClellan is president, W. E. Sawtelle, vice presi- 
dent, and H. M. Crane, cashier. The bank has established a branch at The 
Palms. 

Mr. McClellan married at Wall Hollow, North Dakota, Miss Grace G. Loring, 
a daughter of George D. Loring, formerly of Princeton, Minn. Mr. McClellan is 
a Blue Lodge Mason, member of the Knights of Pythias, and of the Arctic Brother- 
hood, a fraternal secret order of Alaska. Mr. and Mrs. McClellan'have one son, 
Neil D. McClellan. 

Mr. McClellan is one of Sawtelle 's most public spirited and popular citizens 
and his influence is always found favorably aligned with all movements looking 
to the progress and development of his home city. 



William F. Parrish is a native of Pocohontas County, Iowa, born near 
Pomeroy, February 1st, 1873. He is the son of Isaac E. Parrish, a carpen- 
ter, a native of Kentucky. His mother was Helen Phipps, a native of New York. 
The family came to California in October, 1887. Mr. Parrish is an expert horse- 
shoer, one of the best on the Coast, and a blacksmith, and has followed the trade 
for seventeen years. He opened his first shop at No. 1644 Temple Street, Los 
Angeles. Tn November, 1903, he located in Santa Monica and did an extensive 
business. He sold out June 1st, 1906. He owns a comfortable home at Towner 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



411 



Ave. and 18th Street, and was one of the first to locate in Fairview Heights — 
that thrifty suburb to Santa Monica. He also owns valuable property on 
Twentieth Street, between Michigan and Towner Avenues. iMr. Parrish has been 
twice married. His first wife was Ethel Grashauser. She died at Nordhoff, in 
Ventura County, in 1887. For a second wife he married Miss Martha T. Sluthour, 
a native of Missouri, born near Zodiac, Vernon County. They have three children 
Gladys A., Helen A. and Martha L. Fred, an only son, died December 30th, 
1907, three years and nine months of age. 



Rev. George Taylor, of Sawtelle, is of Scotch descent. He came to 
Southern California in 1885 and located in Pasadena. In early life he studied 
sculpturing and designing and, for years, 
in eastern cities, successfully pursued the 
same as a profession, doing statue and 
relief work on public buildings. He also 
designed and carved several soldiers' monu- 
ments. In Pasadena Mr. and Mrs. Taylor 
became interested in religious and reform 
work and important factors in the re- 
organization of the First Baptist Church, 
of that city and he was, for nine }'ears, 
the church clerk. He was, meantime, 
licensed to preach and was for two years 
pastor of the First Baptist Chuich, of El 
Monte. He was there ordained as a 
minister of the gospel, April 9th, 1896. 
In July, 1897, he was called to the pastorate 
of the Memorial Baptist Church, of South 
Pasadena, and during his pastorate, freed 
the church from a burdensome debt, 
made additions to the church edifice and 
left the organization in a prosperous 

spiritual and financial condition. For twelve years he has been clerk of the Los 
Angeles Baptist Association, and the Southern California Baptist Convention. 
Mr. Taylor had, for several years, been active in the practical work of the Young 
Men's Christian Association which experience proved a most valuable aid in his 
church work. = T- i" '- ir 1 !? E^ 

Mrs. Taylor is a native of Frederickton, Xew Brunswick. When a child, 
her parents removed to Hartford, Conn. Her ancestors were from France, 
England and Scotland, and five generations ago came to America and settled 
in South Carolina. Her greatgrandfather was a soldier of the American Revolu- 
tion and fought for independence. She is a relative, by marriage, on her father's 




RK\'. AND MRS. C.EORGE TAYLOR. 



412 BIOGRAPHICAL 

side of the family to William Lloyd Garrison, journalist, orator and reformer 
of anti-slavery fame. Mrs. Taylor comes from a musical and literary family. 
She is a graduate of two musical academies and has been a professional music 
teacher for many years. She has also been a tireless student of the Bible, which 
accomplishments have fitted her for the duties of a pastor's wife. 

Mr. Taylor commenced his religious work in Sawtelle November 5th, 1901, 
and, as a leader of a band of sixteen charter members, organized the present 
Baptist Church in that city, mention of which is made on another page of this 
work. December 1st, following, the organization was perfected and Mr. Taylor 
became duly installed pastor and both himself and Mrs. Taylor have bent their 
energies to the successful building up of an influential and prosperous church 
and society. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are : W. B. B. Taylor, attorney 
at law and first city attorney of Sawtelle, Hawley O. Taylor, Instructor in Cornell 
University, Ithaca, New York, in the Department of Physics and Science; 
Almo R. Taylor, artist, manager of the art department, Out West Co., Los Ange- 
les. The three sons are married and there are four grandchildren. 



J. D. Blanchard, Santa Monica, was born at Newton, Mass., January 
10, 1862. His father, John B. Blanchard, in earlv life, was a seafaring man, 
as were his ancestors for generations past. Mr. Blanchard's mother, Nancy Lyon, 
was a native of Boston, Mass., a daughter of Dr. Henry Lyon. John B. Blanch- 
ard for many years sailed the open seas ; later he engaged in the sugar and shook 
business at Matanzas in Cuba as a member of the firm of Alphonzo & Blanchard. 
He died in 1874 at sixty-two years of age, leaving the widow with a family 
of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest and only 
one living. Mr. Blanchard's early life was spent in Boston, where he attended 
the public schools and became a salesman in a " small- wears " store for five 
years. Later he held a position for five years with the Boston Rubber Shoe 
Company. Later he came tO' California and located on a ranch in Orange 
county, and subsequently spent three years at Beaumont, after which he came 
to Los Angeles and engaged in the dairy and creamery business. In 1902 he 
located at Santa Monica, and with others incorporated the Imperial Ice Company, 
of which he is the general manager. Mr. Blanchard married September 10, 
1889, Miss Jamessetta Crockett of Los Angeles, a native of Massachusetts and 
daughter of Rev. James Crockett, a clergyman of the Freewill Baptist Church. 
Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard have one son, Howard. ]\Ir. Blanchard is a member 
of the Santa Monica Board of Education. He is a member of the B. P. O. E., 
the Woodmen and Order of Red Men. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



413 



Robert R. Grimes, twenty-two years a re^irlpnt ..f r.Tf ■ ■ 
of Missouri and was born at Macon City Ztst7 tLoTrnT' ^^ ^^^^^ 
James Grimes, was a California pioneer of lS?n l^- 1 [ Hisfather, 

was Sara. Bast, died .Hen .e ^ l^tli ^ n mors^oM' Ind^TroT "rt™: 
h s l:fe was one of Itardsliips and uncertainties. During childhood un.ih 
SIX years of age, he lived with an aunt at New London Mo lat"t " 

time with a neighbor, Robert Briggs From 856 to ,s/n h" r \ ' ut"^ '°™ 
Ui.rrU r> 1 1-1 ""feto^- -Tiuin 16:5 to looO he lived with Profps^nr 

Hugh Dunlop, wh.ch makes the sum total of his school days He then worked 
ou on farms. In 1868 he married Miss Ann T. Carter near Perry Rolscrnt 

Hrb"i Xsi nT rr ^T'^^^ot- ^""' 't'^-' '-'^^ ^^°^^^^ 

V, odint JO Ky. Lo. In 1870 he went to Dallas Texas Tn 1S7^ h^ 

TZTyVnl fo^""" ''"' 'T""" '" ^""'"^- L^'- he'purchased a b rom 
nlSSi he sTdT.™ '■"" '" '"''"' '^™°"' ™™ =""3 manufactured broomT 
In 1883 he sold this property and bought lands in Texas County southeast 
Mtssoun. Later he purchased the Smalley Hotel at Licking Mo 

wtthou't crches' "Z .'""' '"• M ''*'■ ''"'' " "''"*'' Monica-unable to walk 
of Stephe?wk on "^f f °°" ^^'^ '° --^ and obtained his first employment 
01 Stephen Jackson. He later spent one year at the U. S. Government Forestrv 
Station and later was gardener for Senator John P. Jones for two yea s He is 
well known m Santa Monica as an expert florist and scientific gardener Fo 
h s second w, e Mr. Grimes married Miss Annie Wilson, a native of County 
Monaghan, Ireland. Mr. Grimes is father of six children b^ his former marr.a^e' 
Pasadena Wnr' ' /n'" Dom.nguez, of Los Angeles; Mrs. Clark Burnham 'of 
Pasadena, Wilham. of Orcout, California; Robert and John, of Los An=.eles 



twJ'"', ^/""r"" *' ^ "''"™ °^ ^P"^™" County, Kentucky, born about 
pI rish bo^h r A""" "^ " *'" ^°" °' ^^™''^ N. and Francis Eldr^™ 
Tu ,^ u ViTgmm. He is a carpenter by trade and a contractor 

and bmlder by occupation. He raised six boys and four giris. The sub ect of W 

tts trade Let""' T" '"' °"' °"^ '" ^''"^°--- «« -medlre L^ ! 
tZf , V " " "' '"'""'y y'^'' °* "»<=• ^'' "-^"t to Michigan spent a 

h 1 rieVLt" M-f; ^"a *'r,T"' '° ^°°' ^™"'y- O"'- At'Milto'nvi 1 
/oll^ f u n ■ P"' ^'"^- "*"■ "■= *™' to Terre Haute Ind the 

followmg fall. Commg west to Des Moines. la., he there spent about th'irtv 

7ssIZlTT'r'T'r '"'"^'"^ °P^^^'-"^- "« -™ to CaHornL n 

cl ■ dren iwo h 'f ^'"':'- *'"' ^""^'^ "^'^"^ J"'^ ^^f^' 'S^'. 1-ving six 

cniidren,*two by a former marriage. > t, i.v 

thel»?? '''°w o"^' *'■■■ ^""'^'' "'"■"'='^ Emily C. Bedwells Potts, widow of 
the la e James W. Potts, one of Los Angeles' best known pioneers 

Mr. and Mrs. Parrish live near Twentieth and Oregon Avenues, Santa Monica 
They are members of the Church of the Nazarene, Los An..eles 



414 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



The names of Daniel Shively, with that of his most estimable widow, are 
intimately associated with the history of the City of Sawtelle. Mr. Shively 

was a native of Ohio and was born 
in Hardin County, October 24th, 
1846. At the age of nine years he 
was comi>elled to assume responsibil- 
ities to aid in support of the family 
that usually come to men only. 
Upon the breaking out of the Civil 
War he enlisted in the 130th In- 
diana Infantry and served in the 
ranks for a period of three years, 
participating in many of the blood- 
iest battles of the conflict. He 
was twice wounded, an injury to 
his head causing him pain up to the 
day of his death. After mustering 
out of the army, Mr. Shively follow- 
ed contracting in brick work near 
Lima, Ohio. 

In 1876 he married at Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, Miss Sarah Lucelia 
Booth, a daughter of Sidney Smith 
and Mary Jane (Whaiples) Booth, of 
Mentor, Ohio. Mr. Booth was of 
English parentage, a son of Sir John Booth, Earl of Booth Ford, North of England, 
a landlord of wealth and high social standing. He came to America and located 
at Mentor. Sidney Smith Booth latterly located with his family at Paynesville, 
Ohio, and it was here that Mrs. Shively spent her girlhood. She was educated 
in a private school under the care of a governess. Mrs. Mary Jane Whaiples 
Booth was a direct descendent of William Whaiples, who was one of the signers 
of the Declaration of Independence. 

Immediately after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Shively came west to Peru, Kansas, 
where he engaged in farming and she, meantime, taught school. Later they 
lived at Dedan, Chanute and finally at Chard, Kansas, where they engaged exten- 
sively in merchandising and where he held the office of postmaster. Here they 
suffered severe loss by fire — the store with a valuable stock of merchandise all 
going up in smoke. Mr. and Mrs. Shively then went to Coffeyville, Kansas, and 
she engaged in the restaurant business, while he conducted a photograph gallery. 
In 1888 they came to California and for a time lived on Spring Street, Los Angeles. 
In 1901 they located at Sawtelle when the now thrifty little city was in its 
infancy. They invested in town property and became a factor in its industrial 
social and civic advancement. 




D.-\NIEL SURELY. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



415 



Mr. Shively was in every way a most exemplary and useful citizen. He was 
a devout member of the religious order of Dunkards, was broad in his piety and 
tolerant of the religious beliefs of others. He was an honored member of Burn- 
side Post, No. 188, G. A. R., of Sawtelle, and the following tribute to his memory 
is quoted from a Memorial Address of the Post published in the Sawtelle Sentinel: 

"In the death of Daniel Shively, another name is stricken from the ever 
lessening list of the G. A. R. He was a man of generous impulses and never 
forgot the hospitable ways of the pioneer. The stranger and the beggar 
never failed to find food and shelter at his hands. He was often at the bedside 
of the sick, and he delighted in the performance of all kinds of neighborly offices. 
He was a man of sound sense and strong convictions. He was candid and out- 
spoken in his convictions. He lived nobly and died peacefully." 

.Mr. Shivelv died June 26th, 1907, the result oi' a stroke of ])aralysis 
about six months previous thereto. 
The funeral obsequies took place at 
the Baptist Church, the Rev. George 
Taylor preaching the sermon which 
was followed by the service of the G. 
A. R. and the W. R. C. Interment 
was in Sunset Cemetery, at which a 
choir rendered his favorite hymn, 
Only Renienibered By What I Have 
Done. 

Mrs. Shively is one of the most 
widely and favorably known of the 
women of Sawtelle. Upon arrival 
there she plunged into local work for 
the social, spiritual and civic upbuild- 
ing of the community. She worked 
diligently for the establishment of 
the first day school in Sawtelle, and 
was one of the prime movers for the 
first Sunday School, contributing the 
necessary funds to establish the same 
at Wyant's Hall on Fourth Street. 
She is prominent in the work of the 

W. R. C. and has served three terms as its patriotic instructor. The following 
resolution of respect will indicate the esteem in which she is held by the corps : 

"Whereas, That while we recognize that the present success and pros- 
perity of this Corps is due to the earnest efforts of all its members, we would at 
this time especially honor our Patriotic Instructor, Sarah L. Shively, the organizer 
of this Corps, who has by her generosity and constant efforts for the betterment 
of the Corps, won our highest esteem and deepest gratitude. Therefore be it 




MRS. shive;ly. 



416 1'.1()(;R.\I'HICAL 

Resolved, That Sarah L. Shivcly be recognized and honored as the 
Mother of Burnside W. R. C, No. 105, G. A. R. ; that the proper record be made 
on our minutes and a copy of this resolution properly attested be given to Mrs. 
Shively, and that our Post be duly notified of our action. 

Elmira J. Stewart, C. P. 
Seville A. Gray, Secretary. 

She is a leading ' ' Rebecca ' ' and has served two terms as Chaplain in the local 
lodge. In 1904 she organized and uniformed the Sawtelle Guards, made up of 
twelve of Sawtelle 's brightest boys, which became a feature of the social life of 
the new town. She was the leading spirit in the organization of the Sawtelle 
Cemetery Association, of which she is now secretary and treasurer. 

Mrs. Shively has been a leading spirit in all communities fortunate enough 
to claim her as a member. Los Angeles was comparatively a small city when, in 
1888, Mr. and Mrs. Shively came from the east and located there. Mrs. Shively 
was soon discovered and enlisted in the work of the Chamber of Commerce, then 
just organized and located in Mott Market, and served as one of the active mem- 
bers of its directing committee. Later they lived near Tropico and were instru- 
mental in securing the betterment of the highways betw^een Tropico and Los 
Angeles, notably the building of the old Walnut Street bridge, crossing the Arroyo 
Seco at Twentieth Avenue — a result of her individual effort. While a resident 
near Tropico and the Southern Pacific Ry. track she, one dark night, in 1890, 
hearing unusual sounds of distress and though ill, ventured out to learn its source, 
and discovered that a team of horses had run away onto the railway right of way 
and fallen into a cattle guard, breaking their legs and obstructing the track. She 
rushed to the house, lighted a lamp and returned barely in time to flag an oncom- 
ing passenger train by frantically swinging her light across the track. Such 
heroism is certainly worthy of marked recognition, yet Mrs. Shively relates it 
as the performance of an act of duty simply. 

Mrs. Shively, while a practical, discerning and alert woman of action, is at 
once inherently retiring and unobtrusive. She is nevertheless found wide awake 
when occasion demands and duty calls. 



Benjamin Stickney Hunter, of Santa Monica, is a native of Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin, where he was born November 10th, 1879. He is the son of a manu- 
facturer of linseed oil. Mr. Hunter passed his early years and was educated in 
the City of Milwaukee. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He 
married Miss Mabel Genn, October 30th, 1905. In July, 1896, he came to Cali- 
fornia, located in Los Angeles and entered a law office as clerk. He was ad- 
mitted to practice 1901. Later he took up his residence in Santa Monica and 
commenced the practice of law. In 1907 he was appointed City Attorney of 
Santa Monica to succeed F. H. Taft, Esq., resigned. He served until January 
1st, 1908. Mr. Hunter is a member of the B. P. O. E. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 417 

Major Robert Dollard, a recent acquisition to Santa Monica, with his 
wife came here to make their home early in the winter of 1907. The Major was 
born at Fall River, Mass., in sight of Mount Hope, on Mount Hope Bay, where 
the famous Indian chief, King Philip, fell, and in view of the mouth of Taunton 
River, which empties into that bay where Thor Fin, the sea-roving Norseman, 
wintered in the eleventh century with one hundred and fifty men, four hundred 
years before Columbus discovered America. 

Major Dollard was born on March 14th, 1842; was educated in the public 
schools of Massachusetts, enteied the Union army at the outbreak of the war and 
served in the field with credit and distinction until its close. He rose from the 
ranks to major and the command of his regiment and was one of the youngest 
regimental commanders in General Grant's army in the campaign before Rich- 
mond and Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 and 1865. During that campaign, in 
a battle before Richmond, w^here sixty percent of the men engaged were killed 
or wounded, he w^as promoted on the field by order of the commanding general 
of the Army of the James, the substance of which was : 

"Captain Robert Dollard, acting as field officer, and in command of the 
skirmish line at New Market Heights, inspired his command by his great personal 
bravery, coolness and ability, until he fell severely wounded near the enemy's 
main line is hereby promoted to major." 

Major Dollard went with his regiment to the Mexican frontier at the close 
of the war to join an army assembled along the Rio Grande to give the Emperor 
Maximillian and the French Emperor, who was backing him, a hint that the 
United States, having settled its family difficulties, was now ready to test the 
virtue of the Monroe doctrine, but the withdrawal of the French army from Mexico 
and the failing fortunes of Maximillian settled the question without hostilities 
and the troops thus assembled were mustered out early in 1866. 

Shortly after this Major Dollard located at Galesburg, Illinois, studied law 
and was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of that state in 1870. 

He married Miss Carrie E. Dunn, of Yates City, Illinois, in 1875. They have 
no children. He continued in the general practice of the law in Knox, Peoria and 
Fulton Counties, Illinois, after his admission, until 1879, when he located in 
Douglas County, Dakota Territory, a frontier county, in which he was the first 
settler. During the early settlement of this county a band of adventurers secured 
its organization and attempted to plunder it of about two hundred thousand dol- 
lars by the issue of fraudulent warrants on its treasury but were met by the honest 
settlers with Major Dollard at their head and, in a contest in and out of court, 
lasting ten years, in which was engaged some of the best legal talent in the North- 
west and the effective services of a vigilance committee, the conspirators were 
routed, driven from the country and the people saved from their fruadulent 
schemes. 

The major was a leading member of the Constitutional Conventions of South 
Dakota in 1883 and 1885, in the movement to create a state out of the south half 

27 



418 Bl()(;RArirriCAL 

of Dakota Territory, the last of which framed the constitution of the present 
State of South Dakota, and the work of which conventions practically resulted 
in the admission into the Union of the States of both South and North Dakota. 

He was elected District Attorney in 1885, Attorney-General of the Provisional 
State Government for South Dakota in the same year, a member of the Territorial 
Senate in 1888, in which he was Chairman of the Joint Committee of both Houses 
on the reform of the school law ; was elected the lirst Attorney-General of the State 
of South Dakota and served two terms during which he framed legislation that 
lifted the state from a condition of bankruptcy and has continued it on a cash 
basis ever since. He was subseciuently a leading member of the House of the 
State Legislature and later of its Senate in which he was Chairman of the Judici- 
ary Committee. He was still later successively an anti-machine candidate for 
Governoi and for Congress in a revolt that several years struggle crowned with 
success. 



James O. Hodgson, retired, of Santa Monica, is of the many permanent 
residents of the city, attracted to Sunny California to spend his declining years 
in quietude after having spent the active years of his life in the East and Middle 
West. He is a native of Onandaga County, N. Y., born in the township of Manlus, 
August 14th, 1838. His father, James Hodgson, was a native of the Empire 
State. Both paternal and maternal grandparents were from Manchester, England 
and came to the United States and located in 1801 near Auburn, N. Y. 

James Hodgson, with his family, located upon the then western frontier 
in the town of Elba, Lapeer County, Michigan, and took up government land when 
Michigan was a territory. They had five sons of whom James O. is the only one 
living. He attended school there and grew to manhood. It was a sparsely 
settled country, principally inhabited by Indians, and he was one of four white 
pupils who attended their district school, the others being Indian children, 
eighty in number, belonging to the Nypsing tribe, that inhabited the Flint River 
Valley. 

Upon the breaking out of the Civil War, young Hodgson, on the 16th day of 
October, 1862, responded to the first call for 300,000 men and joined the Tenth 
Michigan Infantry, went to the front and participated in some of the hardest 
fought battles of the war, notably those of Pittsburgh Landing, Shilo and Corinth. 
He was an expert rifle shot and was at times detailed for duty as a sharpshooter. 
He served the full time of his enlistment and was mustered out August 19th, 1865, 
at Ross Ville, Ga., and immediately re-enlisted and joined the Atlanta campaign, 
during which seige he was one hundred four days under continuous fire. During 
his army career he participated in upwards of thirty engagements and was con- 
tinuously with his regiment. He was mustered out of service at Louisville, Ky., 
the 19th of August, 1865, and returned to the peaceful pursuits of farm life. 

He was married May Lst, 1866. to Miss Alma Campbell at the old home. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 419 

She was daughter of Chas. L. Campbell, a pioneer of Lapeer County, Michigan, 
town of Hadley. She was born in the town of Davidson, Gennessee County, 
Michigan, where her father engaged in farming, lumbering, kept a hotel and was 
an active and successful man of local affairs. 

Mr. Hodgson located in Flint City and engaged in the lumber business from 
1872 to 1879. In 1882 he filed a Soldier's Claim on a quarter section of land in 
Esmond Township, Kingsbury County, Dakota, which he improved as a farm. 
He also kept a hotel at Esmond Valley and finally retired to DeSmit City, South 
Dakota, where they lived until finally coming to Santa Monica in April, 1907. 
They own one of the many beautiful homes of the Crescent Bay City, No. 437 
North Fourth Street. They have an adopted son, W. K. Hodgson, a prosperous 
merchant of Del Mar, Iowa. 



Almon H. Calkins is a native of Oswego, N. Y., born January 1st, 1841. 
His father was Almon Calkins, a native of Connecticut, a Methodist clergyman of 
the Genesee, N. Y., Conference. He is of Welch ancestry. The mother of Mr. 
Calkins, Susan Alma, was a Quakeress, a na:tive of New York. The family came 
west in 1850 and located at Janesville, Wisconsin, where young Calkins grew up 
and passed through the public schools. Upon the breaking out of the Civil 
War he enlisted for the conflict under Professor Cass, who organized Company A, 
40th Wisconsin Infantry and was elected its captain. This company was largely 
made up of Captain Cass's former pupils of the Janesville High School. They 
went to the front under the ninety days call of 1864, and were stationed at Mem- 
phis, Tennessee, where he suffered a sunstroke while under a forced march which 
permanently incapacited him for further military duty. He was honorably 
discharged from the service and returned home with his regiment. 

He then turned his attention to the development and promotion of a new 
device for burning fuel oil, of his own invention, upon which he was granted a 
series of letters patent by the United States Government, and which was also 
patented in foreign countries. He also, in company Vv-ith brothers, acquired 
ownership of several patents on barbed wire for fencing purposes, which they 
for years controlled in this country, the revenues from which made the brothers 
wealthy. The financial crisis of 1873 proved a disastrous occurrence for this and 
hundreds of other well-established business enterprises, which was followed by 
the death of the brothers and loss of health by the subject of this sketch. He 
came to California and Santa Monica in 1879 which has since been his home. 

Mr. Calkins has two sisters, residents of Santa Monica — Juliete, widow of 
the late Judge Boyce, and Jennie M., widow of M. Boyce, a prominent attorney 
of Illinois and a half brother of Judge Boyce. 

Mr. Calkins leads a quiet life and attributes the prolongation of his life to the 
health-giving climate of Southern California. 




E. C. GIRD. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 421 

H. N. Hammond, capitalist and well known citizen of Santa Monica, is a 
native of Oakland County, Michigan, having been born in the town of Waterford, 
April 2Sth, 1876. His father, Eli Hammond, also a native of Michigan, was a 
merchant of Waterford. His mother, before marriage, was Miss Nettie Fifield. 
In 1S82 the family removed to Benton, Montana, where they remained about 
four years, afterward returning to Michigan and locating at Decatur. At this 
place Mr. Hammond engaged in the mail order business for a period of about 
eight years. He married at Decatur, August 24th, 1897, Miss Edith McOmber, 
a daughter of George McOmber, a merchant of that city. In 1898 Mr. Hammond 
removed to Bay City, Michigan, where he continued in the mail order business, 
wholesale and retail. In 1904 Mr. Hammond and his wife came to California and 
lived for one year at Ocean Park. The following year he made purchase of a lot 
on the now magnificent Palisades tract. They erected the first costly and archi- 
tectural residence thereon which is today one of the most spacious homes in the 
city. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have two children — Harriet Janeita, and John D. 



Edward C. Gird, a California pioneer and well known citizen of Los Angeles 
and Sawtelle, is a native of Illinois, born in the town of Trenton, Clinton County, 
March 12th, 1863. His father was Edward Kinsley Gird, a native of Louisiana, 
whose father was a military instructor at the United States Military School at 
West Point. Later in life he went south and established a military academy 
in Louisiana. Edward K. Gird, with a brother, Henry H. Gird, made the trip 
overland to CaHfornia with ox teams, from Illinois in 1853 and remained here 
about five 3^ears. In 1858 they returned home. In 1868 Mr. Gird located in 
Bates County, Missouri, where he lived until he came to Los Angeles in 1883, 
bringing his family, which included Edward C, the subject of this sketch, then 
twenty years of age. They purchased eighty acres of land near the city of Los 
Angeles for which they paid $85.00 an acre, and embarked in the dairy business, 
which they conducted for about eight years. Los Angeles was then a city of 
about 20,000 people and their farm was considered quite in the country. With 
the marvelous growth of Los Angeles, this property was taken into the Wilshire 
Boulevard Tract and a portion into the Norwood Terrace Tract and now sells 
at the rate of about $15,000 an acre. Here the father died in 1900 at sixty-six 
years of age. Mrs. Gird, the mother of our subject, still occupies a portion of 
the old homestead and enjoys good health at seventy-one years of age. 

In 1896 Mr. Gird organized a newspaper route for the Los Angeles Daily 
7 lilies, taking in the Soldiers' Home and contiguous country. Upon the founding 
of the town of Sawtelle, he opened there a news stand in which he carried a stock 
of books and stationery. This was the first store of its line in the town and he 
operated it about two years. Mr. Gird also became interested in real estate 
and bought and sold town property with a reasonable degree of profit. In 
1907 he subdivided what was known as the Gird Tract of one hundred and ten 



422 BIOGRAPHICAL 

residence lots, lying to the southeast and adjoining the city of Sawtelle, which 
is so favorably situated as to promise a substantial addition thereto. Mr. Gird 
owns and conducts a souvenir store at the Soldiers' Home, which he established 
about 1895, and has built up a good business. He has published a number 
of valuable souvenir books relating to the home life of the old veterans. His 
kindly spirit and uniform courtesy has made him exceedingly popular with the 
"old soldiers" of the Home, as with all others who know him. 

Mr. Gird married, in 1888, Miss Frances C. Walbridge, of Appleton City, 
Mo. She is a daughter of W. D. and Anna Van Meter Walbridge. Mr. and 
Mrs. Gird have two children — Mabel A. , and Anna Lucile. Mr. Gird was a charter 
member of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, of Los Angeles. The family are 
now members of the M. E. Church of Hollywood. The family home is at South 
Hollywood where the Girds own valuable property. 



Benjamin F. Van Tress is one of the early day pioneers of Los Angeles. 
He came to California in 1859. He is a native of Clinton County, Ohio, and was 
born near Wilmington, the county seat, December 26th, 1836. 

His father, William, was a carpenter by trade, a farmer by occupation, of 
Dutch descent. His mother, Melissa Hollister, and his father were both natives 
of New York and lived in the Mohawk Valley. The father was twice mariied, 
the subject of this sketch being one of two sons by first marriage. The other son, 
Charles, came to California in 1897, and went to Alaska where he died. 

Benjamin lived in his native county until 1854 and with the family removed 
to Warren County, Indiana, where he took up carpenter work. He later joined 
the gold rush to Pikes Peak, proceeded wxst to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and 
abandoned the trip. He there joined an overland party bound for California, and 
drove a four horse team via north Platte to Salt Lake, thence via southern route 
to San Bernardino with Joseph Meeks, and arrived at his destination in 1859. 
He spent two weeks there and then came to Los Angeles. Here he followed his 
trade for about seven years, doing a large amount of work for Bishop Mora. He 
worked on the building of the present Catholic Cathedral ; was one of the workmen 
who remodeled the Church of Our Lady of the Angeles, fronting the old Plaza. 
He personally laid out the work for the present "hip roof" and designed the old 
belfry that in 1904 gave place to the present mission arches. He describes the 
original building as having a flat roof with a slightly receding pitch to the rear, 
which was coveied with asphaltum and soil mixed. He states that the bells 
were originally in small adobe arches so near the ground that a person of average 
height could reach the clappers and ring them. There was one bell hung in an 
arch, which surmounted the front wall of the building over the main front entrance. 
Later Mr. Van Tress kept a meat market opposite the northwest corner of 
the old plaza. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



423 



He married in 1863, Falipe Mendes, a daughter of Pedro Mendes, a manu- 
facturer of Spanish saddles, bridles, bits and spurs. He was an expert in his line 
of work. Mr. and Mrs. Van Tress have seven living children — Elizabeth, Mrs. 
Frederick Bickerdike; Ida, Mrs. J. R. Kull Franklin; Clara, Mrs. George Hall; 
William; Alice, Mrs. Allen Orr, and Charles. 

The family home is Twentieth Street, near Pennsylvania Avenue, Santa 
Monica. 



Hester Tuttle Griffith. The past decade has witnessed in South- 
ern California phenomenal progress in civic, political and .social reform. The 
best thought and energy of the best 
people in nearly all walks of life 
have combined to bring about in 
the most direct and practical manner 
possible these most salutary results. 
Especially is this true in the work 
of Temperance and Social Purity 
reform in which many of our most 
able and accomplished women of 
independent thought and achieve- 
ment have borne a conspicuous part, 
prominent among whom is Mrs. 
Hester Tuttle Griffith, of Coeur 
d'Alene Place, Ocean Park. Her 
mental endowments, her home life 
and her educational training seem to 
have specially fitted her for charitable 
and reformatory work. 

Mrs. Griffith is a native of Min- 
nesota, born at St. Anthony Falls, 
where the city of Minneapolis now 
stands, September 22nd, 1854. Her 
father, Calvin Tuttle, was one of the 
frontier settlers of the Upper Missis- 
sippi and Saint Croix River vallev. 
He, with his bride, crossed Lake Pepin 

and sailed up the Mississippi, thence up the Saint Croix in a small boat, to Saint 
Croix Falls where, in 1837, he built the hrst saw mill erected on that stream and 
where for a long time they were the only white settlers. Ten years later they 
removed to Saint Anthony Falls, the head of navigation on the Mississippi. 
and were among the founders of the ambitious city of Minneapolis. Here a son. 
Wilmot Garfield Tuttle, was born, the first white male child born in the then 




HKSTFIK TITTLE GRIFFITH. 



424 r.lOGRAPHICAL 

small town of i\:inneG| olis. When, in 1S49, the territory of Rlinnesota was 
established, !\Ir. Tuttle was appointed Territorial Treasurer, and held the office 
until the territory was made a state. May 11th, 1858. He was a typical north- 
west frontiersman of broad intelligence, sterling character and resolute 
purpose. He acquired large land holdings at Saint Anthony Falls, a portion of 
which he donated to the state for educational uses and which is now occupied 
by the Minnesota State University. Later in life he built saw mills at Lake 
Minnetonka. He also became heavily interested in the development of the water 
power and town of Little Falls, Minn., and owned large tracts of land in that 
vicinity. He traveled over unexplored regions of country looking to final develop- 
ment of the state by building of railroads and other enterprises. He suffered 
business reverses by reason of the financial crash of 1857. Up to that time he 
had been very active in milling and in the promotion of milling enterprises at 
St. Anthony Falls. He w^as also instrumental in bridging the river below^ the 
falls, the hrst bridge that spanned the "father of waters" at this point. He then 
w^ent to Two Rivers, Minnesota, and built up extensive water power and lum- 
ber mills and there remained until he came to California. He married Char- 
lotte M. Minkler, at Upper Alton, Illinois, in 1840. She was a native of Hills- 
dale, Columbia County, New York, born July 31st, 1819. They had three 
sons and four daughters, the latter are (1908) all living'. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle 
came to Pasadena in 1888 to make their home with Mrs. Griffith and, notwith- 
standing their love for and loyalty to their old home state, became thoroughly 
wedded to Southern California and Pasadena, where he died November 17th, 
1900, at nearly ninety years of age. Mrs. Tuttle also died at Pasadena in 1892. 

Mrs. Griffith spent her childhood at Minnetonka Mills, Minn., and her girl- 
hood at Tw'o Rivers. At fourteen yeais of age she entered the Minnesota 
State Normal School at St. Cloud and graduated therefrom at sixteen in June, 
187L After graduation she taught school at Melrose, Stearns County, Minn., 
and later at Little Falls. She then went to Minneapolis where, for five years, 
she taught in the public schools, three years of which time she was primary 
principal. February 4th, 1877, she married Mr. Elijah Griffith, a prosperous 
young contractor of Minneapolis. 

Mrs. Griffith w^as converted to Christianity at the age of fifteen under the 
temperance evangelist. Rev. W. W. Satterlee, and has steadily grown in the 
faith, towering in strength and influence until she is known throughout the land 
as one of the most effective advocates of temperance and pure living engaged 
in the holy cause. Never having been accorded the blessings of motherhood, 
she has been thrown all the energies of a strong, most lovable and spiritual 
character into w^hat she regards as her life work. Soon after coming to Pasadena 
she joined the Women's Christian Temperance Union and entered seriously into 
the work. This was followed by rescue and prison work in Salt Lake, Utah, 
for four years. The year 1892 she served as local president, territorial president 
and treasurer. This vear she also went as territorial delegate to the national 



BIOGRAPHICAL 425 

W. C. T. U. convention at Denver. Returning to Pasadena she was made 
president of the Central Union for two years. Moving to Los Angeles, she held 
the office of Federation President for eight years, of County Vice President 
five years and is now State Superintendent of Prison Work and National Evange- 
list under this department, also National Lecturer for the department of Soldiers 
and Sailors. In 1906 she was elected by unanimous vote. President of the Los 
Angeles County Union and re-elected in 1907. This is the largest County W. 
C. T. U. in the United States. At the Santa Ana convention (1908) she was 
unanimously chosen State President. 



Martin L. Hudson is one of the thrifty, successful pioneers in the Irwin 
Heights Addition to Santa Monica. He is a native of Pennsylvania, was born 
in Charfield County, in the town of Charfield, June 1st, 1855, a son of Kalita Polk 
Hudson, a blood relative of James K. Polk, eleventh President of the United 
States, a bridge builder by trade and likewise a farmer and a man of local affairs. 
He married Mis3 Kezia Thompson, a daughter of Isaac Thompson. The family 
came west in 1865 and, located in Floyd County, Iowa, on a farm. There the 
father died in 1881, at fifty-seven years of age, the mother and seven children 
surviving. 

Martin L. is the oldest of the family. He remained on the home farm until 
twenty-one years of age. Meantime he acquired the mechanic's trade, having 
inherited from his father the mechanical instinct and a genius for handling tools. 

In 1883 he left Iowa and spent about five years in Dakota. In 1888 he went 
to the town of Everett, on Puget Sound, Washington, where he engaged in build- 
ing and house moving, where he acquired and still owns j^roperty. During his 
residence there he made four trips to Alaska. In 1896 he went to Cook's Inlet. 
In 1898 he went to Klondike where he had passing success mining. He returned 
home in the fall of 1899 and made the trip a fourth time in 1900 over the ice and 
w^as forty days alone on the way. He there engaged in building, "going" wages 
being $1.50 per hour. He finally returned home, via Saint Michaels, suffering 
shipwreck and extreme exposure. 

In 1902 he located at Santa Monica and followed his trade for a time. He 
meantime purchased five acres of land, one of the most fertile and sightly parcels 
of land in the Irwin Heights tract, a portion of which he still owns. Here he 
has developed a pretty home, the location being between Virginia and Delaware 
Avenues, on Twenty-second Street. He purposes selling a portion of this tract 
to desirable purchasers. He also owns valuable property in Ocean Park. 

Mr. Hudson married in 1891 Miss Hattie Maxfield, of Tacoma, Washington. 
She is a native of Illinois — a lady of social and domestic accomplishments. They 
have one son, Fred M. Mr. Hudson is a member of the Woodmen of the World 
and Independent Order of Odd Fello\ys. 



426 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Andrew Henry Wyant, one of the first settlers and an esteemed citizen 
of Sawtelle, is a native of Armstrong County, Pennsylvaina, born December 24th, 
1839. His father was Adam Wyant, a native of Burks County, Pa. He was 
of German descent and by occupation a successful farmer. His mother, by 
maiden name Sarah Ycrty, likewise of Greman ancestry, descended from that 
sturdy stock of Pennsylvania Dutch which made up the pioneer settlers and 
developed the material resources of the Keystone State. Adam Wyant suffered 
the loss by death of the thrifty wife who had borne him seven children and re- 
married, his wife being Sophia Bowser, wdio became the mother of ten children. 
The mother of A. H. Wyant died when he was six years of age and he lived much 
of the time thereafter with relatives. At twenty-one years of age, he was among 
the first from his state to enlist for the defense of the Union, joining the Second 
Pennsylvania Cavalry, October 1st, 1861. This regiment was recruited at 
Philadelphia, Lancaster Center, Northampton, Berks, Tioga and in Armstrong 
County. Company M , Mr. Wyant's company, was made up chiefly in Armstrong 
County. Mr. Wyant put in three years and eleven months of active and most 
strenuous service, as may be seen by the following battles and other engagements 
in which he participated: Cedar Mountain, second battle of Bull Run, Gettys- 
burg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, Richmond Fortifications, Meadow 
Bridge, Hawes' Shop, Hanover Court House, Cold Harbor, Trevillian Station, 
Jerusalem Plank Road, Malvern Hill, Deep Bottom, White Oak Swamps, Beane's 
Station, Poplar Springs, Wyatt's Farm, Strong Creek Station, Boydton Road, 
Hatches Run, Appomatox and others. Although almost continually on duty 
and at long and numerous intervals under fire, he was singularly fortunate 
in escaping serious injury. He, however, sustained a flesh wound in the left 
aim in front of Richmond at White Oak Swamps, August 16th, 1864. He 
mustered out of service at Cloud's Mill, Va., July 13th, 1865, after which he 
returned to his native state. There he attended school at Rudsburg for two 
years and at Chester for one year. He then engaged in the oil business at Parker's 
Landing with moderate success. In 1871 he married Miss Frances Lydia 
Harding in Armstrong County, Pa., and moved to Ohio where he located on a 
farm in Morrow County near the town of Gallon. Here he pursued farming and 
conducted a meat market. About 1882 he came west to Paola, Kansas, where 
he remained until 1886. He then removed to Arizona and engaged in mining 
about seventy-five miles south of Tucson. In 1892 he came to California and 
became a member of the Soldiers' Home. Upon the laying out of the town of 
Barrett Villa, which later took the name of Sawtelle, Mr. Wyant w^as one of the 
first to invest in local realty. In 1898 he erected Wyant's Hall which was the 
fifth building in the town, and soon became the popular meeting place for all 
public functions. It was there that the first religious meetings and Sunday 
schools were held and it was used as a public hall until December 15th, 1905. 
The owner then changed it into a furniture store which is one of the most com- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 427 

plete establishments of its kind in Los Angeles County outside of the city. In 
this business Mr. Wyant has associated with him an only son, Charles H. Wyant. 
Mr. Wyant for years was a consistent member of the Baptist Church. He 
is now one of the ardent and loyal supporters of the Union Mission, Sawtelle. 
He is a man of exemplary habits and strictest integrity and is held in highest 
esteem by all of the citizens of Sawtelle. He has been enterprising and alert, 
encouraging and liberally supporting all movements for the upbuilding and 
betterment of his home city. His influence is always found favorable "To the 
promotion of a healthy condition of public and private morals. He is a Prohibi- 
tionist in politics but not radically partisan. 



Hon. Thomas Horace Dudley, mayor of Santa Monica, and by reason of 
his position, leading citizen, is a native of Liecestershiie, England, and was born 
October 2nd, 1867. His father, Thomas M. S. Dudley, M. D., was a son of Rev. 
William Mason Dudley, A. M , vicar of Whitchurch and rector of Laverstoke. 

Dr. Dudley married Emily Frances Draycott, daughter of Thomas Draycott, 
a farmer of Liecestershire, who bore him three daughters and a son of whom 
Thomas H. was next to the eldest. He was accorded the advantages of good 
schooling and passed through the Queen Elizabeth Grammar Schools. While 
yet a youth, the knowledge he acquired of American life and customs inspired 
him with a desire to try his fortunes in the new world. He came to the United 
States and located at Bakersfield, California, in 1889, and there engaged in the 
real estate and insurance business. In 1896 he removed to Santa Monica 
and engaged in the real estate and insurance business under the firm name of 
Proctor & Dudley. In February. 1899, he married Mrs. Matilda Brooks Ryan, 
of Santa Monica, widow of the late Francis G. Ryan; a lady of wealth, refine- 
ment and social prominence, and a daughter of Francis Wykoff Brooks (deceased) 
a California pioneer (see index). Soon thereafter the real estate firm of Kinney 
& Ryan, owners and promotors of the Ocean Park Beach Tract, was succeeded 
by the firm of Kinney & Dudley and under Mr Dudley's personal management 
this, then, new and comparatively undeveloped seaside resort was made a phe- 
nomenal success as time has duly demonstrated Mr. Dudley also became a fac- 
tor in other successful business enterprises. In 1902 he was one of the organ- 
izers of the Ocean Park Bank and has since been its president. In 1903 the 
Merchants National Bank was incorporated and he served as president thereof 
until early in 190S, when he was succeeded by James H. Giigsby. In 1905 
the Bank of Venice was incorporated and Mr. Dudley was chosen, and still serves, 
as its president. In 1900 Mr. Dudley was elected a member of the Santa Monica 
City Board of Trustees, serving as chairman of the Board until 1907. Upon the 
reorganization of the city government under a Freeholders Charter in 1907, 
Mr. Dudley was elected mayor and is now (1908) the incumbent. He is a 
membet of the B. P. O. E., and a leading member and officer of the St. Aug- 
ustine Episcopal Church of Santa Monica. 



428 iilOGRAPHICAL 

John J. Peveler, resirlent of California since 1882, a native of Illinois, 
was born in the City of Chicago at No. 252 Van Buren Street, January 12th, 1859. 
His father, George W. Peveler, was by occupation a farmer. He joined the United 
States Army as a volunteer in the War of the Rebellion, went to the front and 
was killed at the Battle of Antietam, September 17th, 1862, leaving a widow 
and an only child, the subject of this sketch. Young Peveler spent his youth in 
Chicago, attended the public schools and learned the carpenter trade and later 
the cement contracting business. In 1896 Mr. Peveler went to Alaska where he 
spent five years and passed through all the excitement and experienced the hard- 
ships of the gold seekers of Nome and Dawson. He returned to California in 1901 
and for several years had charge of numerous jobs of construction cement work 
for the Los Angeles Pacific Railway Company. Mr. Peveler married in 1904, Miss 
Theresa H. O'Laughlin, a native of Litchfield, Minnesota, and they have one 
daughter, Virginia C. The family residence is at the corner of Ninth Street and 
Nevada Avenue, Santa Monica. 



James L. Brice, of Venice, a native of Hancock County, Ohio, was born 
May 24th, 1863. His father, Joseph Brice, was a native of Pennsylvania and 
a son of Henry Brice, a member of one of the pioneer families of Maryland, 
He was a thrifty farmer and lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania, when 
he entered for service in the War of 1812, following the example of his father who 
was a conmiissioned officer in the Revolutionary War. Joseph Brice was a 
sailor and navigated Lake Erie. He finally located near Findlay, Ohio, and en- 
gaged in manufacturing. He later removed to Lima, Ohio, where both himself 
and wife passed away. Mrs. Brice 's maiden name was Lucinda Wolf. She was 
a native of Ohio. 

James L. Brice received his education in the public schools of Allen County, 
Ohio. He graduated from the High School of Lima, Ohio, and embarked in life 
as a public school teacher. In 1886 he came west to Denver, Colorado, and later 
to Lyons, same state, where he engaged in the mercantile business, a member of 
the firm of Scanlon & Brice. In 1889, during the rush to Cripple Cieek, Mr. Brice 
removed thence to open a general merchandise store. Soon, however, he turned 
his attention to mining, in which occupation he has been eminently successful 
in various sections of the state. In 1894, he went to Leadville and in 1899 came 
farther west to Idaho and operated in the Couer de Alene country. He gained 
a technical knowledge of mining and became a practical mining engineer. In 1905 
he became editor of the mining department of the Idaho State Tribune . In 1906 
he established and edited the Idaho Mines and Metals, which property he sold in 
1907, since which time he has been associated with various mining enterprises 
throughout the west. He is president and manager of the Snowstorm Extension 
Copper Mining Company, of which he is one of the developers, and in a similar 
capacity is identified witli the Idaho Lead and Silver Mining Company and the 



BIOGRAPHICAL 429 

Whipple Mountain Gold and Copper Company, of San Bernardino County, Cali- 
fornia. 

In the year 1897 Mr. Brice married Miss Josephine M. Van Hansen, daughter 
of Hon. John C. Van Hausen, a wealthy farmer and pioneer of Schuyler, NebrasKa. 
He located at Schuyler about 1869 or 1870, and there married Miss Catherine 
Mohr. Of their five living children, Mrs. Brice is the oldest. Mrs. Jessie Brad- 
ford, widowed, is the youngest and is at home with Mrs. Brice. They were both 
born on the old homestead at Schuyler. John C. Van Hausen was a man of affairs, 
business and political. He has been honored with elections to the Nebraska 
State Assembly and likewise to the State Senate, as a Democrat. He was a son 
of Isaac C. Van Hausen, a native of Schoharie County, New York, and of Holland 
Dutch parents who were among the earliest pioneers of the Empire State. 

In 1907 Mr. Brice purchased valuable real estate on the Coeur de Alene tract 
near Venice of America upon which he has erected, without exception, the finest 
residence to be found in the Santa Monica bay cities. Mr. Brice is accounted one 
of the substantial citizens of the state, takes a broad view of life and a personal 
interest in the prospeiity of his adopted home city. Mr. and Mrs. Brice have one 
daughter, Beatrice M. Brice. 



RoscoE H. Dow, councilman from the seventh ward of the city of Santa 
Monica, was born in Booth Bay, Lincoln County, Maine, January 26th, 1873, 
and lived theie until twelve years of age. The family then removed to Bay City,' 
Michigan, and there young Dow grew to manhood. He received his education 
in the public schools of his native town and Bay City and finally attended Olivet 
College, Olivet, Michigan. While in Michigan he was more or less identified with 
Republican politics, holding various elective and appointive positions. At one 
time he had the distinction of being the youngest judge in the state, having been 
elected Justice of the Peace in Bay County, Michigan, immediately after attaining 
his majority. Mr. Dow is a son of John Wesley and Hattie (Tibbets) Dow, 
who were married in New York in 1 86 7 . John Wesley Dow was a native of Maine 
and was born in 1835, belonged to the Dows of English descent and bears rela- 
tionship to the late Honorable Neal Dow, of reform and prohibition fame. The 
major portion of his life has been spent as a mariner, having followed the sea from 
early boyhood until a time well into the eighties Hattie Tibbets Dow was also 
of old New England stock and her ancestors were sea-faring people Besides 
Roscoe H., there are two children— Frank H. and Maiy G. 

Mr. R. H. Dow came to California in 1903 and located in Santa Monica 
and soon thereafter assum.ed management of the business of the Southwest 
Warehouse Company. He m.arried in the year 1903, Miss Nellie K. Gillard, 
of Bay City, Michigan, a daughter of Henry B. and Jenrie (Evans) Gillard. 
They were natives of London, England, were married in 1866, and can:e to this 
country, locating at Port Huron, Michigan, in 1870. There he engaged success- 



430 BIOGRAPHICAL 

fully in the lumber business, and later in farming and is now retired from active 
business pursuits. He reared a family of ten children. 

Mr. Dow was elected to represent the seventh ward of the city of Santa Moni- 
ca in the common council at the election in April, 1907, and is an efficient and 
conscientious officer. He is a member of committees on Finance and Supplies, 
Streets and Cemetery, and is Chairman of the Committee on Buildings. He is 
a member of the B. P. O. E., No 88, of Bay City, Michigan, and Santa Monica 
Lodge, No. 307. F. and A. M. 



Hon. H. B. Eak'ns, Mayor of Ocean Park, is a native of Pennsylvania, 
born in the city of Philadelphia, September 15th, 1865. He there spent his 
youth, attended the public schools and later passed through the University of 
Virginia at Charlottesville, Va., from which institution he graduated in 1880. 
He returned home and served an apprenticeship to the trade of watchmaking, 
which he later followed in Philadelphia and Washington, D. C. At Washington, 
he also held a position for about three years in the weather bureau under the 
U. S. Government. In 1887 he came west and spent two years in the Black 
Hills, South Dakota. There he followed his trade and also became interested 
in mining, being connected with the Home Stake Mining Company. He was 
also guard for the Wells Fargo Express Company during the period of extensive 
shipments of gold bullion from that district. Mr. Eakins also became interested, 
somewhat, in affairs of state and active in issues involving the location of the 
state capitol, making a systematic canvass of the country in the interests of the 
city of Pierre. At that time, William Jennings Bryan was canvassing North 
Dakota for the Farmers' Alliance and, as a matter of expediency, they joined 
issues, traveled together and spoke from the same platform, Mr. Eakin usually 
following Mr. Bryan in the presentation of his cause. He thus became intimately 
acquainted with the now great "commoner" and candidate for the presidency. 

In 1891 he came to Los Angeles. Here he became interested in mining 
properties in Arizona and also acquired an interest in and held a position with 
the jewelry firm of Montgomery Brothers, which interest he still retains. While 
with this house he personally installed the extensive time service of the Santa 
Fe Railway Co. in Southern California. In 1904 he organized the Commercial 
Warehouse Company (Incorporated), and is president thereof. 

He took up his place of residence in Ocean Park, No. 28 Club House Avenue, 
in 1903. In April, 1908, Mr. Eakins was elected member of the Board of Trustees 
of the city of Ocean Park and chosen President of the Board, by virtue of which 
position he is the executive head of the city government. 

Mr. Eakins, in 1890, married at Black Hills, S. D., Miss Gertrude E. Beemer, 
a native of Racine, Wis., and they have a son, Walter, and a daughter, Margaret. 
Mr. Eakins is a member of the Southern California Lodge, No. 2 78, F. and A.M. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



431 



Clarence J. Nellis, leading merchant and representative citizen of Sawtelle, 
is a native of Livingston County, Mo. He was born October .3rd, 1866, only 
son of James J. Nellis, by profession 
a school teacher, now a resident of 
Sawtelle. 

Mr. Nellis spent his boyhood and 
attended the public schools in his 
native tow^n. At eighteen years of 
age he attended Park College, Park- 
ville, Mo., near Kansas City. He 
commenced his business career as a 
grocery salesman at Chillicothe, Mo., 
remaining there seven years. He 
then went to Tacoma, Wash., and 
worked in the same capacity for 
Fulton & Cathcart until they retired 
from business. He remained in Ta- 
coma until the spring of 1889, when 
he went to Alaska and engaged in 
mining on Forty Mile River. He 
located and worked claims in Frank- 
lin Gulch and Napoleon Creek, both 
tributary thereto. His expedition 
was on the whole a financial success. 
Mr. Nellis, coming to California in 

1902, located in Sawtelle, engaged in the grocery business and has built up an 
extensive trade with one of the finest equipped stores in the Santa Monica Bay 
region. Mr. Nellis is one of Sawtelle's most enterprising and progressive 
citizens and has energetically worked for the advancement of the civic, business 
and social interests of his city. Upon the resignation of F. C. Langdon from the 
Board of City Trustees of Sawtelle, Mr. Nellis w^as appointed to fill the office 
and was promptly chosen chairman of the board. As the executive head of 
the city government he has made an enviable record, standing squarely for the 
enactment of statutory and efficient code of practical working ordinances and 
a faithful execution of the same. 




CLARENCE J. NELLIS. 



Nathan Bundy, one of the earliest residents of Santa Monica, was born in 
Morgan County, Ohio, December 16th, 1846, his father having died three months 
before his birth. He grew up on the farm and acquired a public school education. 
He learned the trade of house and sign painter which he followed in Iowa and 
to some extent after coming to California and locating in Santa Monica, April 
30th, 1876. Santa Monica was then a small but growing village, nd Mr. Bundy 



432 BIOGRAPHICAL 

did a successful business at bis trade Later he made judicious investments in 
real estate which proved profitable. He lived in Santa Monica upwards of twenty 
year? and in 1898 retired to Lo^^ Angeles, where he remained until 1907. At that 
time he built and located at Westgate. 

Mr. Bundy married Miss Harriet Smith and they have one daughter and 
five sons, the latter all highly esteemed and successful busines men of Santa 
Monica and Los Angeles — F. E. Bundy, G. G. Bundy, C. L. Bundy, Nathan P. 
Bundy and Thomas C. Bundy. The daughter, Sarah E. Bundy, is still at home. 



Charles Aley Bouck, of Venice, is a native of Green County, Ohio, where 
he was born in the township of Beaver Creek, July 1 1th, 1856. His grandfather, 
Henry Bouck, was a Pennsylvanian as was also his maternal grandfather, 
John Aley, and both were of Holland Dutch parentage. John Aley was an early-' 
day pioneer of Green County, owned valuable farm lands and a steam saw mill 
at "Aley's Mills," in Beaver Creek Township. The family had a large member- 
ship which, with its connections, constituted by far the larger portion of the 
thrifty and prosperous community; Sarah Aley Bouck was the fourth daughter 
of this family. Mr. and Mrs. Bouck had three sons — Orrin L., who became 
a wealthy manufacturer of Dayton, Ohio, died September 2 7th, 1906; William 
Lincoln, who died in infancy, and Charles A., the subject of this sketch. Mr. 
Bouck grew up on his father's farm and about the mills in which his father also 
was interested. At sixteen years of age he went to Dayton and attended the 
public schools about two years. He then followed the trade of carpentry 
about three years in Springfield, Ohio. Later he was with the Mast-Foos Co., 
manufacturers, until 1881. In 1881 he married Miss Cora D. Harnish, a daughter 
of Christian Harnish, a wholesale and retail grocery merchant of Springfield. 
In 1882 Mr. and Mrs. Bouck came to Los Angeles and were guests of the family 
of Ex-Mayor Henry T. Hazzard, whose residence was where the Grand Theater 
on North Main Street now stands. They were among the early comers to the 
Boca de Santa Monica Canyon. They returned east in 1884 and came again 
to California in 1890. In 1891 Mr. Bouck went to Colton and was one of the 
first purchasers of unimproved land in the now rich and beautiful Colton Ter- 
race tract, where he erected buildings and made other improvements. The 
same year, by the wrecking of a farm building during a severe storm, December 
11th, 1891, Mr. Bouck received injuries which permanently disabled him for 
active business, but in no degree affected his mind. From the spring of 1897 
to 1903 the family lived at Hollister Avenue and Ocean Front. In 1904 they 
Avere among the first to build at Short Line Beach, Venice, and have since been 
identified with the marvelous beach developments. Mr. Bouck takes a lively 
interest in all that transpires and, through his extensive reading, keeps in touch 
with the outside world. He is much interested in the development of his adopted 
city of Venice and has great faith in its future. Mrs. Bouck is a lady of splendid 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



433 



social and business attainments and lends her time and influence in forwarding 
the social and civic interests of Venice, and she has entire management of the 
Venetian Villa City. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bouck have one son, C. Harnish Bouck, born at New Carlisle, 
Ohio, February 25th, 1886. He married at Venice, December 12th, 1907, 
Miss Nettie Lillis Robinson, of Stockton, California. He may properly go on 
record as one of the active promotors of Venice, since in 1904 he aided in erecting 
the first building in the city having a roof, for the Abbot Kinney Company, and 
soon thereafter opened the first store which was located near the Ocean Front 
on the east side of Center Street. He is now chief engineer at the power house 
of the Abbot Kinney Company, Venice. 



Noah R. Smith, D. D. S., Santa Monica, is a native of Miss(juri and was 
born in the town of Claiksville, Pike County, February Uth, 1874. His father, 
John R. Smith, was a farmer by oc- 
cupation and was born in the same 
county in 1841, there grew up and 
married Catherine, a daughter of Noah 
Griffith, who came from Bourbon 
County, Ky., and pioneered in Mis- 
souri. John R. Smith's parents were 
Virginians and pioneered in Pike 
County, Missouri, as early as 1840, 
bringing with them considerable 
property which included a number 
of slaves. The father was a typical 
Southern man, a democrat of the 
pronounced type and a firm believer 
in the divine institution of slavery, 
the doctrine of the State's rights and 
secession. John R. Smith spent his 
entire life on his farm in Pike Coun- 
ty, and there raised a family of four 
children. While on a visit to Dr. 
Smith at Santa Monica he died, in 
1901, and his remains were taken to 

Clarksville and laid beside his wife in the old family plot of the ClarkSville 
Cemetery. Dr. Smith is the third child of his parents. He attended the public 
schools of Clarksville, and later graduated from La Grange College, La Grange, 
Lewis County, Mo., in the class of 1891. He then attended the Western Dental 
College, Kansas City, Mo., graduating therefrom in 1896. He commenced 
practicing his profession at New Franklin, Howard County, Mo., and remained 

28 




N. K. SMITH, D.D.S. 



434 moGRAl^HICAL 

there about Hve years. At New Franklin he met and married Miss Roberta 
M., a daughter of H. iM. and May (Hanson) Todd, now of Ocean Park, Cahfornia. 

By reason of faiUng health a change of climate was necessitated and they 
came to California, locating at Santa Monica in 1901. Mrs. Todd's mother, 
the grandmother of Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Sarah L. Hanson, is a resident of Beverly 
Hills. She is a charming and swxet -spirited woman of eighty-two years and 
is a native of Virginia. Her father was Colonel Peter Pierce who, during the 
period antedating the Civil War, was a foremost property owner and slave holder 
of Virginia. ' His ancestors and all the interests of the family were intimately 
associated with the history of that state. 

Dr. Smith has become a fixture, both as a successful dentist and an esteemed 
citizen of Santa Monica. He and Mrs. Smith are members of the Baptist Church. 
They have four children — Nelson R., John Robert., Roberta Elizabeth and 
J. Fred. The family home is No. 1417 Yale Street. 



The Rev. John D. H. Browne was born in Halifax, Xova Scotia, Canada, 
and educated at the grammar school, and by private tutors, and at Dalhousie 
College, Halifax, and King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia. He was ordained 
deacon in 1873, having been the gospeler of a class of six. and priest in the 
following year, by liishop Binney of Nova Scotia, and entered at once upon 
the duties of the active ministry. 

In i88o Mr. Browne, having been the rector of the important parish of 
Dorchester, New Brunswick, was elected clerical secretary of the Diocese of 
Nova Scotia, and was also editor and publisher of Church Work, a very largely 
circulated monthly, and of The Church Cuardiau, published weekly, which soon 
became the most largely circulated Church paper in Canada. 

Ill health forced Mr. Browne to give up his important positions in the East, 
dispose of his jiapers. and remove to the P'acific Coast, in May, 1884, since 
which time he has been in active service in Southern California, where he has 
been successful in building a number of Churches, and in develojiing strong 
centers of Church work and life in several places. 

Mr. Browne built the beautiful Church at Pomona in 1885 ; a Church and 
rectory at Pasadena, in 1888; the Church at Covina in 1890; the Church in San 
Bernardino in 1898; and has greatlv enlarged and beautified the Church at 
Santa Monica, where he now resides, and of which Parish he has been the Rector 
for nearly nine years. 

Mr. Browne is a member of, and secretary to, the Standing Committee of 
the Diocese of Los Angeles. He is also chairman of the Convention's Com- 
mittee on Church Charities, chairman of the Committee on the Episcopate En- 
dowment Fund, chairman of the Press Coiumittec and chairman of the Commit- 
tee on Work Amonc: Seamen. 



bio(;raphical 435 

In 1898 a Church paper for the Diocese was started and Mr. Browne was 
elected by Convention its editor, since which time the Los Aiigclcs Churchman 
has been continued under his editorial management. This |)aper is now owned 
as well as edited and published by him, and is successfully covering the field of 
Church Journalism in Southern California. 

The I^arish of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea, Santa Monica, when yiv. Browne 
took charge of it, reported twenty-seven communicants, while now it is in a 
very flourishing condition, having grown to 203 communicants and having be- 
come the seventh of all the Parishes and Missions of the Diocese. 

Mr. Browne finds time from his official duties to lend his aid to every 
public matter having to do with the moral and material welfare of the citv, and 
in the Board of Trade and elsewhere has been a useful and enthusiastic citizen, 
and a willint!' worker in advancing'- the "eneral interests of the communitw 



Thomas R. Lowe is a California pioneer, coming to the state from Girard, 
Erie County, Pa. He is a native of England, and was born at Durham 
in 1841. Coming to Canada with his parents in 1848, he located at Queenbush, 
north of Toronto, in the Township of Wallace. In 1863 he came to Pennsylvania 
and in 1867 to San Francisco, where he engaged in farming and a brief time at 
lumbering in the redwood forests of Mendocino County, near Eureka. In 1875 
he went to Lincoln County, Nevada, where he engaged in farming on the Rio 
Muddy. From 1881 to 1883 he operated a ferry across the Colorado River at 
its junction with the Rio Virgin in Lincoln County, Nevada. In December, 1888, 
he came to Santa Monica, and for sixteen years was in charge of the property of 
the Santa Alonica Land & Water Company, as overseer of the water plant, and 
one of their trusted employees. He has made investments in Santa Monica 
property from time to time and now owns some of the best located residence 
property in the city. He is widely known and highly esteemed for his sterling 
traits of character. He has retired from active life. 



Frank Lawton, well known throughout this region of Southern California 
for his enterprise and business activities, is a native of Springfield, Hampden 
County, Mass., born August 12th, 1860. His father, Michael Lawton, was a 
civil engineer by profession and occupation and as such, was in the employ of 
the United States Government and, during the Civil War, served throughout 
the conflict as a member of the Engineer Corps. He was a native of County 
Cork, Ireland. He came to America when a young man, and married Elizabeth 
O'Reilly. They were thrifty, prosperous people and almost lifelong residents 
of Hampden County. They both died advanced in years at Chicopee Falls. 



436 BIOGRAPHICAL 

In response to a burning desire for adventure and an ambition to see the 
world, Frank Lawton, at about eleven years of age, left home without even the 
formal consent of his parents, went to sea and for many years sailed the open 
seas, rounding Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, visiting all the principal 
foreign seaports and San Francisco. After making a final voyage to Japan he 
returned to San Francisco and came south and located at Monrovia. This was 
in 1885 before the building of the Santa Fe Railway east of Los Angeles, when 
Monrovia was simply a "four corners" hamlet. Mr. Lawton here made his 
first business venture by opening the first hotel at Monrovia; later he opened the 
first restaurant in the town. He there met and married Miss Emily Kallmeyer, 
in 1886, a daughter of Garret Kallmeyer, a wealthy farmer of El Monte. This 
was the first wedding to take place in the new^ city. Mr. Lawton remained at 
Monrovia two years, then went to Santa Fe Springs, a new and promising health 
resort about twelve miles east of Los Angeles on the Santa Fe Railway, and opened 
a hotel. In 1889 he came to Santa Monica, opened a hotel of twenty-five rooms, 
and a restaurant on Long Wharf at Port Los Angeles and operated the same 
about four years. About this time the town of Sawtelle was exploited and Mr. 
Lawton was promptly on the spot with the first stock of general merchandise. 
This store he conducted for a time, sold out to C. J. Nellis and went to the new 
town of Sherman where he built a thirty-six room hotel, the Larramond . He 
did a successful business there for about three years, simultaneously having in 
charge the purchase and handling of all the commissary supplies of the L. A. 
P. Ry. Co. After the taking over of the property at old Ballona Harbor by the 
Beach Land Co., and completion of the improvements there, Mr. Lawton made 
a lease of the entire property and operated the pavilion dining rooms, skating rink 
and dance hall, two hotels, launches and row boats on the lagoon, etc., etc., 
making it an immensely popular resort for pleasure seekers until he sold out 
to C. M. Pierce, the present owner. In 1905 he took a lease on and opened the 
new ship hotel, Cabrillo, the auditorium and the Hotel St. Marks, at Venice. 
In this connection he brought to Venice the famous Ellery Band of fifty-four 
instruments which gave the new Venetian city a prestige and popularity that 
was the envy of all other resorts on the coast. In September, 1907, Mr. Lawton 
disposed of all his interests at Venice. Upon the retirement of Dana Burks 
from the Ocean Park Board of City Trustees, Mr. Lawton was chosen to succeed 
him and served until April, 1908. This is the only political otifice he ever held 
and it came to him entirely unsought. 

In the spring of 1908, Mr. Lawton negotiated leases on large tracts of the 
most picturesque portions of Santa Monica Canyon and also Rustic Canyon, 
tributary thereto, and is spending a large amount of money converting it into a 
first class pleasure resort. Famed for its natural scenic beauties, its towering 
bluffs, its grand spreading old sycamore trees, affording ample shade and ideal 
camping grounds, its abundant supply of cool spring water, its grateful breeze 
direct from the ocean, with direct transportation via L. A. P. Ry. from Los 



BIOGRAPHICAL 437 

Angeles and all beach resorts on Santa Monica Bay to the canyon, surely 
Mr. Lawton's new enterprise cannot fail to prove a source of delight to all lovers 
of out of door life and rational recreation. It will be seen by the foregoing nar- 
ration of facts that Mr. Lawton is thoroughly possessed of the true spirit of the 
pioneer, having from the time he first came to Southern California been the 
first on the ground in undeveloped localities and new enterprises, alive to 
the demands of the present and the possibilities of the future and has ever 
"made good" in the accomplishment of his purposes. 

Mr. Lawton is the principal stockholder and president of the Montezuma 
Rubber Company of 'San Lviis Potosi, Mexico, extensive shippers and exporters 
of crude rubber, supplying some of the heaviest manufacturers of pneumatic 
and solid rubber tire manufacturers in this and foreign countries and employing 
from 350 to 400 men. Mr. Lawton owns a fine ranch and country home at El 
Monte and a seaside villa at No. 9 Club House Avenue, Venice. Mr. and Mrs. 
Lawton have two sons — David Edward, who is interpreter of Spanish for the 
Montezuma Rubber Co., in Mexico, and Homer Alfred, a student at Harvard 
Military School, Los Angeles. 



L. H. Case, M. D., Santa Monica, is a successful physician and is a native 
of New York. He was born in Watertown, Jefferson County, June 22nd, 1877, 
a son of Samuel Case, a respected and well known citizen of Santa Monica. 
Dr. Case was a boy of ten years when the family came to California. He received 
his schooling principally in the public schools of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. 
He studied medicine with the late Dr. J. J. Place, who, for about ten years, 
was a popular practitioner in Santa Monica. Dr. Case later took a course in 
medicine at the Hahnemann Pacific Medical College, San Francisco, from which 
institution he graduated in the year 1900, receiving the degree of M. D. He then 
returned to Santa Monica and commenced the practice of his profession. He 
is a member of the California State, and also, the Southern California Medical 
Societies. 

In December, 1901, he married Miss Catharyn Miles, a daughter of the 
lamented Rev. Elam C. Miles, a pioneer of Southern California and Santa Monica, 
a brief biography of whom appears on another page of this book. Mrs. Case is 
a native daughter of Santa Monica where she has passed the greater portion of 
her life. Dr. Case is a member of the F. and A. M. and the B. P. O. E., of Santa 
Monica. Mrs. Case is an active and popular member of the O. E. S., of Santa 
Monica and is Past Matron of the Santa Monica Lodge. She is also an active and 
effective worker in the Santa Monica Woman's Club, and one of its most popular 
members. In July, 1908, she was, by acclamation, chosen the club's president. 
She is charming in her personality, possesses good executive ability and makes 
an able presiding officer. 



438 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Rev. Elam C. Miles (deceased) was born in Litchfield County, Conn., 
in 1832, a son of wStephen and Delia M. (Hawley) Miles. They were staid and 
highly res])ected New England people by Inrth and ancestry. He was a success- 
ful farmer. The son grew up on the old homestead, was passionately fond of 
good books and studiously devoted his spare moments to systemized reading 
and study; thus becoming in a liberal degree, self educated. He became an ex- 
pert mathematician and held the professorship of higher mathematics in Jefferson 
County Institute, St. Louis, Mo., when only twenty years of age. In 1861 he 
married Miss Elizabeth C. Massey in the town of Morris, Grundy Coimty, 111. 
Her father, Sylranus P. Massey, was of English and Irish exti action. He was 
a merchant by occupation and a native of Salem, Mass., where he grew to man- 
hood. He married Hannah Shedd, of Tewksbury, Mass., and there their two 
children, Elizabeth and Sylranus, Jr., were born, she being the eldest. She was 
born in the same house and rocked in the same cradle as was her father. About 
1855 when this daughter was twelve years of age the family came on to the then 
western frontier and located in Illinois near the town of Manlins, La Salle County. 
Later the father became a prosperous merchant in the town of Lostant, in the 
same county. He there died at about seventy-five years of age. By a second 
marriage he left a son, Solon P. Massey, of Lake Mills, Iowa. Elam Miles 
joined the ministry and upon coming to California occupied the pulpit of the 
Unitarian Church at Pomona. He came to Santa Monica in 1878, when it was 
a small village. Here he held the ofhce of Justice of the Peace and was an effi- 
cient officer. He soon thereafter located on a ranch in Blakes Canyon, a mountain 
resort back t)f the Malibu Grant. Here for a time he engaged in bee culture. 
Returned to Santa Monica and later went to Florida where he spent several years. 
Returning to Porterville he there died in the year 1900, at about seventy-six 
years of age. He was a scholarly man and left a very large and valuable library. 
Besides Mrs. L. H. Case there are, of his children living — Waldo P. Miles, of 
Corona; George C. Miles, of Los Angeles; G. Bennett Miles, of Riverside; Bessie, 
wife of Peter Ting, of Porterville, California; Clara, Mrs. Clarence W. Preston, 
of Exeter, California, and Mabel, Mrs. Charles W. Smith, of Scioto, 111. 



Simon N. Talkington, for upwards of forty years a resident of California, 
was born in Crawford County, Arkansas, May 15th, 1846. He is the son of Allen 
A. Talkington, a native of Todd County, Kentucky, and by occupation a farmer. 
Later he pioneered with his family on the western frontier of Arkansas. Of 
the wafe and children mention is made in the sketch of James S. Talkington, 
in this work. In 1864 Mr. Talkington and an older brother, James S., were 
induced to join the southern army. Mr. Talkington was a youth of eighteen 
years and, in fact, knew little of the issues involved in the great civil conflict 
and the actual status of affairs. The two brothers, in time, made a journey 
across Southwestern Texas into Mexico and joined in the revolution then in 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



439 



])rogress in that country, enduring great hardships and passing through many 
thrilHng experiences. They finally, however, arrived home in good health. 
In 1868 he preceded the family to California and located at Campo, in vSan 
Diego County, there engaging in stock raising. The family, including his 
parents, soon joined him. In 1869 they all moved to Orange, then Los Angeles 
County, and in 1885 he removed to Los Angeles and in 1891 to Compton, thence 
to Tropico. In 1903 he located in Santa Monica and on July 12th, 1905, he 
married Miss Olive Watenpaugh, of Santa Monica. He has invested in Santa 
Monica residence property. Mr. and Mrs. Talkington are member of the First 
Methodist Church, of Santa Monica. 



Gkack AdKLK t'liiKCE, a literar}- woman and lecturer, for six \ears a resident 
of Santa Monica, is the daughter of John C. and Alarron A. ( Pingrey ) Pierce, 
and was born in N'ew York State. She 
was educated in her native State and in 
Boston, where she trained for literary 
work and public speaking. She is an au- 
thor known on both continents, her ])oet- 
icil work being represented wilIi honor in 
tl:e I)ibliotheque National, Paris. She is 
the author of two books. " The Silver 
Cord and The (lolden Bowl " — a volume 
of poems — and " Child Study of the Clas- 
sics," used in the schools of lioston and 
introdrced as a text-book throughout the 
state of Massachusetts. ( )f her book of 
poems. Dr. Richard Burton says : 

■■ This book contains genuine ]3oetr\-. 
Ihe work is artistic, refined, pure and high 
i'l quality, and inspired b\' worthy ideals. 
The work should be encouraged b\- all 
earnest lovers of literature, because its 
ethical infiuence is strong and the reader, 
while enjoying a poem sesthetically, is made better for its message." 

Mary Holland Kinkaid, the novelist, in writing of Miss Pierce, says: " Two 
poems in Miss Pierce's volume have enjoyed wide fame. Thev are the sonnets 
on Queen Victoria and on Browning's ' Saul' The sonnet on Queen \'ictoria 
attained a wide vogue in Great Britain. Miss Pierce's later poems fulfilled the 
promise given by these two remarkable sonnets. While the author has the poetic 
gift she has such versatility that she finds little time for verse. Her short stories 
are likely to make her name in a field where few achieve supremacy. Xo one 




GRACE ADELE PIERCE. 



440 BIOGRAPHICAL 

in California better understands the technique of the short story and no one can 
handle a dramatic incident more artistically. 'This fact has been so well recoo^- 
nized l)y eastern editors that ]^liss Pierce has been kept busy tilling- her numerous 
commissions. As a ])latform speaker Miss Pierce is not less brilliant than as a 
writer. She has a talent for oratory ; she has something to say and she knows 
how to sav it, for in all her activities she is an artist." 

Miss Pierce is a contributor to many of the leading- magazines and journals 
of the East and is writing largely for the western press. She is associated with 
many of the organizations for the betterment of humanity and is deeply inter- 
ested in the wage-earning woman's problems. She is on the Advisory Board, 
Committee of One Hundred, the National Health League. New Haven, Conn., 
and is on the Board of Directors, the Ladies' Auxiliary R. C. P. A., Denver. 
Colorado. Miss Pierce is also a member of the International League of Amer- 
ican Pen Women, Washington, D. C, and is associated with the Southern Cali- 
fornia Woman's Press Club. Before coming to California Miss Pierce was con- 
nected with Chautauqua publications, having been classed among " The Makers 
of Chautauqua Literature." Bishop John H. Vincent. Chancellor of this great 
educational institution, said of her work : 

"Miss Pierce's work is worthy in every way. She has genius. The book 
reveals it. It yields the pleasant aroma of a human heart that has companioned 
with Nature, felt the spell of Art, experienced the joys and sorrows of Life, and 
found rest in God. The book does credit to her intellect and sympathies." 

Miss Pierce has an adopted sister — Miss Caroline M. Simmons — who has 
close companionship with her in her life and work. 



ToM ScHOFiELD is a native of England, born in Wales, March 21st, 1877. 
In 1879 the family moved to Yorkshire, England, and there lived until 1889 and 
then emigrated to the United States, locating in Edmunds County, South Dakota, 
where they pursued farming. There Tom attended the local public schools, 
learned the trade of blacksmith and became a horseshoer. There the father, 
John Schofield, died, and the widow, with four sons and one daughter, came to 
California in 1902 and located in Los Angeles. These children were Ernest and 
William, who are residents of Los Angeles, and Herbert in Mexico. 

Mr. Schofield married in Santa Monica Miss Mary A., daughter of Thomas 
Lawson. Mr. Schofield purchased the business of Robert Nairn in Santa Monica 
in January, 1907. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of the World, Lodge 
No. 2 719. Mr. Schofield 's mother and sister live in Los Angeles. 

Mr. Schofield is a thorough mechanic in his line and turns out only the best 
class of work. He has recently distinguished himself by building at his shops, 
on Second Street, the first automobile built in Santa Monica. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 441 

Edward F. Bontty is a native of Oregon, born at Portland, February 
7th, 1877. His father, Joseph Bontty, is a Bohemian by birth, was born in 
Austria and came to America at twenty-five years of age and located at Portland, 
where he engaged in the building business. He lived in Santa Monica from 
1885 to 1905 and engaged in the giocery business; he also became interested in 
some successful real estate deals. He then removed to San Diego, where he 
is now engaged in the grocery business. He has two sons and one dauo-hter. 
One son, Joseph, is a conductor in the employ of the Los Angeles Pacific Electric 
Ry. Co. The daughter, Sebaldeni, is Mrs. R. R. Tanner, of Santa Monica. Mr. 
Bontty came to Santa Monica with his family in 1883. Here he attended the 
public schools, was for several years salesman in his father's grocery, the first 
store opened at what was originally known as South Santa Monica. This cov- 
ered the years 1898 to 1905. ]\Ir. Bontty was a conductor four years for the 
Los Angeles Pacific Ry. Co., which position he resigned and in April, 1906, 
opened his present store — fish, poultry and game — on Utah Avenue, between 
Second and Third Streets. 

Mr. Bontty married September 4th, 1903, Miss AHce Novetny, of Chicago. 
They have one son, Richard Robert Bontty. Mr. Bontty is a member of the 
Masonic fraternitv and an Eagle. 



Ralph Bane. A sketch of Santa Monica's first Treasurer, under the Free- 
holders Charter may be read with interest by those not intimately acquainted 
with him, because of the responsible public position he holds and by any who 
may have misgivings as to what a young man of metal and earnest endeavor 
can accomplish in our sun-kissed land of material promise. 

Mr. Bane was a native of Ohio and was born at Newark, February 22nd, 1879. 
His father, Frank Bane, a merchant tailor of Newark, died in 1886, when his only 
son was but seven years of age. Mr. Bane, at the very tender age of two years, 
suffered the irreparable loss of his mother in 1881 , when he was practically adopted 
by his great aunt, Mrs. C. B. Buckingham, of Newark, a noble woman of great 
benevolence and christian fortitude, he being the last and youngest of her fourteen 
adopted children. She passed to her final reward at her life-long home in Newark 
on July 1st, 1907, at eighty-three years of age. 

Young Bane grew up under the tender care of his foster mother, passed 
through the excellent graded public schools and took a course of study at the 
Newark High School. From his seventeenth to his twenty-first years he engaged 
in various local business ventures, in which he succeeded. In the year 1900 he 
went to Zanesville, Ohio, and with J. H. Stephen embarked in general merchandis- 
ing. The new enterprise suffered unforseen business reverses and closed out. 
In 1902, Mr. Bane, somewhat impaired in health, came to California and soon 
after reaching Los Angeles, came to Santa Monica. He soon obtained employ- 
ment as conductor for the Los Angeles-Pacific Ry. and remained with the com- 
pany two years. 



442 lUociRAI'HlCAL 

He resigned his position and for a period of about nine months acted as 
inspector of street work for the City of Santa Monica. He then went to Sacra- 
mento and acted as clerk of the legislative committee on public buildings and 
grounds, Thirty-sixth Session of the California Legislature, 1905. Upon return- 
ing, he accepted a position as Deputy County Tax Collector under W. O. Welch 
and served until March 1st, 1907. This position he resigned and became a 
candidate for the office he now holds under the Freeholders Charter. In the per- 
formance of the duties of the positions he has held Mr. Bane made a wide circle 
of friends and acquaintances and his htness for the office of City Treasurer was 
not questioned, but became a factor in according him victory. 

Mr. Bane married, in 1899, Miss Edith, a daughter of Elkanah T. Perry, and 
a niece of the late lamented W. H. Perry, a widely known and eminently success- 
ful pioneer of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Mrs. Bane is a native of Newark, 
Ohio, and they were youth-day accpaintances. They have one daughter, 
Ethel Lillian, born in Newark. Mr. Bane is a Republican in politics, and a charter 
member of the B. P. O. E. of Santa Monica, and a member of the Woodmen of 
America, Los Angeles. 

Mr. Bane is a courteous and unassuming gentleman, an ideal public official 
who is thoroughly wedded to a faithful performance of the manifold duties of 
his office. 



Francis Wycoff Brooks, was a California pioneer of 1850, a native of 
Boston, Mass., where he was born March 14th, 1821. He was educated at 
Walpole Academy, Walpole, N. H. Later he went to New York City and, with 
a brother, engaged in the wholesale paper business. When the reports of the 
discovery of gold in California became current in the east, he joined the rush 
to the new El Dorado. After some experience in the mines he, with his two 
brothers, Horace and George Brooks, engaged in the wholesale paper business 
on Sansome street, San Francisco. He was a vigilante and did much for the 
establishment of law and order in San Francisco in the early days. The firm 
did a prosperous business for about twenty years, their field of operation extend- 
ing throughout the state. The brothers, individually, acquired large property 
interests in the city. 

Francis W. Brooks married Miss Matilda Smith, daughter of Floyd Smith, 
a leading business man and prominent lay churchman in New York City, where 
she was born , reared and educated. The marriage took place June 20th, 1855, 
and they came direct to California via the Panama route. Of their children 
two are still residents of this city, viz. — Matilda, now wife of Mayor T. H. Dudley, 
and Alice Brooks, who lives at the old home. Another daughter, Mrs. J. Erwin 
Hoy, lives in Paris, France. Mr. Brooks died in Battleboro, Vt., in 1885. In 
1890, the family located in Santa Monica at the corner of Third and Washington 
Streets, where Mrs. Brooks died in 1897. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



443 



Harry Fraxtz Rile, a well known photographer of this city, was born in 
Philadelphia, Pa., December 1st, 1860. His father was John C. Rile, a carpenter 
of English parentage, and his mother, 
Sarah Frantz, was of Dutch descent, 
born near Norristown, Pa. Mr. Rile 
spent his youth at his native home 
and at about eighteen years of age 
he took up photography in Philadel- 
phia and by degrees worked his way 
to California, via Chicago, Kansas City, 
and Portland to San Francisco and 
thence to Los Angeles. On December 
20th, 1887 he reached the latter citv 
and almost immediately opened a 
studio on North Beach in Santa Mon- 
ica. For twenty years he has been 
continuously in the photographic bus- 
iness on this beach. Mr. Rile mar- 
ried, in 1889, Miss Georgetta May 
Heimer, a daughter of George Heim- 
er, of Galesburg, 111. She was born 
in the city of Galesburg. Mr. and 
Mrs. Rile have two daughters, Maud 
Frances and Caroline Inez. Mr. Rile 
is a member of the Royal Arcanum 

and Woodmen of the World. The family residence is at the corner of Eighth 
Street and Oregon Avenue. 




H. F. RILE. 



E. A. PrEuss, for forty years a resident of Los Angeles, is a native of New 
Orleans, La., and was born June 7th. 1850. When yet a child the family re- 
moved to Kentucky and located in the city of Louisville, where he attended the 
public schools and business college. In 1861, he entered the employ of a drug 
store in Louisville as an apprentice to the business which, after several vears. 
he thoroughly mastered. In 1868 he came to California, and. following a brief 
stay in San Francisco, he came to Los Angeles and embarked in the drug busi- 
ness. In 1875, he associated in business with the late John Schumacher, one 
of the best known of the early pioneers of the city. Some vears later. C. B. 
Pironi succeeded to the interests of Mr. Schumacher and the business continued 
until September. 1885, when Mr. Preuss permanently retired. In June. 1887. 
Mr. Preuss received the apjxMntment of postmaster of Los Angeles bv the 
lamented President, Grover Cleveland, which ofifi.ce he acceptably filled to Feb- 
ruary 14th. 18'>0. until the ajipointment of his successor. His encumbencv cov- 



444 BIOGRAPHICAL 

ered four years of the most phenomenal growth that Los Angeles has ever had, 
known a,s the boom of 1887 to 1889, and it may safely be stated that probably 
no postmaster in any city of the conntry ever held his office under more stren- 
uous conditions. \W reason of the great and sudden influx of people from all 
parts of the country, the postoffice, not any too well equipi^ed for handling the 
business of a city of 12,000 people, was required, before Mr. Preuss' term of 
office closed, to meet the demands of 50,000 inhabitants, and this through one 
office, there being no branch stations. The office was then located on North 
Main street near Republic, opposite the Baker block. As the boom crowds in- 
creased the clamor for mail at the windows became so great that two long lines 
of men and women extended up and down Main street waiting their turn. ]\Ir. 
Preuss promptly petitioned the government for an increased allowance for the 
employment of additional help, and for a branch office in East Los Angeles, but 
relief, because of the exact and deliberate routine of the department business at 
Washington, was meager and slow in coming. The total cash handled during 
the year 1887 was $1,838,000.00, being an increase of more than $700,000.00 over 
1886. Stamp sales alone exceeded $120,000.00 for the year 1887, when the 
office handled the mail for over 200,000 transients. Mr. Preuss retired from 
the office with a splendid record as a man of executive ability and ready resource 
for emergencies. During those days, Mr. Preuss was wide awake and ready to 
take a hand in forwarding the best interests of Los Angeles, and was also iden- 
tified with the social life of the city. 

He was one of the charter members of the Turn \"erein, organized in 1870. 
He was one of the prime movers in the organization of Los Angeles' first athletic 
club, in 1883. In 1877 he married Miss Mary A., eldest daughter of the 
lamented John Schumacher, one of the most prominent and highly esteemed pio- 
neers of Los Angeles, of 1847. Mr. Schumacher was a native of Wurtemburg, 
Germany, and was born January 23rd, 1816. In 1832, being then an orphan, 
he left his native town and went to Paris, soon thereafter coming to America. 
He lived in New York until 1846, when he enlisted for the Mexican War in the 
First Regiment New York X'olunteers, under Col. John D. Stevenson, and was 
mustered into Company G. On Septeml:»er 26th of that year he sailed for San 
Francisco in the ship Thomas H. Perkins, arriving at destination in the month 
of March, 1847. The following May they shipped for San Pedro and reached 
Los Angeles on the 9th of that month, there remaining until mustered out of 
service, September 18th, 1848. He almost immediately set out for the newly 
discovered ])lacer gold diggings on Sutter's Creek, El Dorado county, where he 
unearthed a gold nugget for which he realized $800.00. He continued in the 
mines for several months, having fair success, then returned to Los Angeles and 
embarked in merchandising in a store near the northwest corner of Spring and 
First streets, which property he very soon acciuired, together with all the lind 
bounded by S])ring, First, Fort (now Broadway), and Franklin streets, for 
which, it is said, he paid $700.00. He also later owned a tract of land at what 



BIOGRAPHICAL 445 

is now Temple street and Belmont avenue, which, in company with Jacob Bell, 
he used as a sheep range. He was a man of energy and enterprise and experi- 
mented with the raising of grapes without irrigation on land he owned between 
Los Angeles and the sea — being a portion of the old Brea grant. He acquired 
other lands in the city which ultimately became very valuable. John Schumacher 
was a popular citizen, having a host of friends. He served on the Citv Council 
two terms. He spoke the German, English, French and the Spanish languages, 
was everybody's friend and was specially useful to the Spanish and non-English 
speaking people in adjusting their business affairs, as all had unbounded faith in 
his unerring judgment and integrity. In 1880 he built the Schumacher block 
on his property. First and Spring streets, then regarded as one of the most sub- 
stantial and architectural business blocks in the city. It stands today as a fitting 
monument to his enterprise and stability. He also built what was for years 
known as the White House, a pretentious and very substantial business block at 
the corner of Commercial and Los Angeles streets. He died from the effects 
of a stroke of apoplexy, March 2nd, 1885, leaving a valuable estate and an un- 
tarnished name as an inheritance to his six children. These children, besides 
Mrs. Preuss, are Carrie, who is the widow of Professor Paul Schumacher (no 
kin) — John H., Frank G., Percy F., and Arthur W. Mr. and yivs. Preuss are 
old-time summer residents of Santa Monica. They have one son, Kenneth. 



Claude W. Rogers, well known and successful meichant of Santa Monica, 
was born at Shawneetown, Johnson County, Kansas, July 31st, 189?. His 
father, Walton Rogers, a native of Kentucky, born in Gallatin County, was a 
Doctor of Medicine. He emigrated with his wife to Kansas in 1864. In 1859 
they returned to Carrol County, Kentucky, and located in the town of Ghent, 
w^here young Rogers grew up. At sixteen years of age he went to Denver, 
Colorado, and worked for various commercial establishments as an accountant. 
He came to California and to San Francisco in 1893, where he spent three years. 
In 1896 he came to Santa Monica, taking a position with A. F. Johnston, merchant. 
Later, for two years, he became manager of the business. In 1906 the A. F. 
Johnston Company was incorporated and Mr. Rogers became a director thereof. 
Upon the untimely death of Mr. Johnston, Mr. Rogers succeeded to the piesi- 
dency of the corporation. 

The A. F. Johnston Company is extensively engaged in the wholesale and 
retail grocery business, being the most progressive and prosperous in its line in 
the city of Santa Monica. 

Mr. Rogers married in the city of Santa Monica in the year 1900, Miss Grace, 
daughter of the venerable Thomas H. Elliott, a most highly repected pioneer 
of Santa Monica. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have one daughter, Arta. Mr. Rogers 
is a member of the F. and A. M. and the B. P. O. E. The family home is 928 
Fourth Street. 



446 r.IOGRAPHICAL 

h. A. ixGKKSULi-,, of Santa Monica, was born in the village of Delta. Eaton 
county, Michigan, August 7, 1851, a S(mi of Alexander and Emeline liaker Inger- 
soll. Alexander Ingersoll was a son of Erastns Ingersoll, who with a family of 
thirteen children located large tracts of heavily timbered land on (irand river 
in the interior of the lower peninsula of Michigan, in 1836, when that State was 
a Territory. He obtained a charter from the T. S. (jovernment to build a dam 
across the river, erected a sawmill and a grist mill, which formed the nucleus 
to a growing and prosperous community. l'])on the death of Erastus Ingersoll 
a large landed estate came into the possession of members of the famih and 
Alexander Ingersoll became owner of the water power and mills. He also owned 
timber and agricultural lands. He improved the milling property, built up an 
extensive business and was a moving spirit in the community He served sev- 
eral years as a member of the Count}- IJoard of Supervisors and was also for a 
long period director of the schools, deacon in the church and superintendent of 
the Sunday-school. Besides his interests in Delta he became interested largely 
in the milling interests of Lansing. In later years he closed out his interests in 
Michigan, located at Saint Croix Falls, M^is., where he died in 1890. 

Emeline E>aker Ingersoll was a native of the town of Stafford, Gennesee 
county, N. Y., a daughter of Captain Remember Baker, who was a grandson of 
Captain Remember Baker, a brother-in-law of Colonel Ethan Allen of Revolu- 
tionary fame. Captain Baker commanded a company of Green Mountain boys, 
and w'as Colonel Allen's second in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in the name 
of "The Great Jehovah and Continental Congress." Baker immediately there- 
after took possession of Crown Point, was betrayed by Indians, and beheaded. 
His name is recorded in history as the first ofificer killed in the American Revo- 
lution. Captain Remember Baker, the maternal grandfather of L. A. Ingersoll, 
early in life went to sea, became master of a ship and navigated North river. 
He was the pilot of the Robert Fulton on its first voyage up the Hudson river. 
'He was a .soldier of the War of 1812 and under General Brown held a captain's 
roving commission and did his country great service as a scout. He located on 
Grand river near Delta, Michigan, in 1836, later settled at Portland, thirty miles 
distant, where he died in 1846. Emeline Baker Ingersoll, his daughter, in early 
life taught school and later married at Delta. She was a woman of splendid 
domestic attainments and great kindness of heart. During her many years of 
active life she was tireless in church, Sunday-school and charitable work. She 
died at her home at Saint Croix Falls, Wis., February, 1906, at 83 years of age. 

L. A. Ingersoll grew up in the village of Delta, attended (llivet College. 
Olivet, r^lichigan, spent seven years in the dry goods house of an uncle. Harley 
Ingersoll. at Lansing, Mich., spent two years seeking health in the northwest, 
was from 1879 to 1886 engaged in compiling local history in Michigan, Illinois, 
Kentucky, New York and the New England States. In 1886 he established 
and for two years ])ublished the Saint Croix 1 'alley Sfaiuiard news]-)aper at Saint 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



447 



Croix Falls. Wisconsin. In 1888 he came to California and has devoted about 
twentv years to collatino-. writing- and publishing California history. In 1904 
he published Jjii^crsoH's Century .liinals of Scui Bernardino County. Ingcrsoll's 
Ccnfurx History of Santa Monica Bay Cities, 1908. is the second book of a series 
of local histories he has in various stages of development. He married October 
.Tth at Ypsilanti. Michigan, Miss Mary Elizabeth Otto, a daughter of George 
and Rose Otto, pioneers of Southern Michigan, and there is one daughter. Grace. 

W. M. Palmer was born near Iowa Falls. Iowa, on October 23rd, 1870. 
His parents were New England Quakers of vScotch, Irish, French and English 
lineage and pioneers in the settlement 
of Iowa, having emigrated from the 
eastern states while Iowa was a wil- 
derness. 

His grandfather, John Caldwell, 
was the first Justice of the Peace in 
Hardin, Hardin County, Iowa, at a 
time when Indians and land claim 
jumpers were the chief subjects of 
judicial inquiry and legal enactment. 
The family continued to reside in 
that locality for more than fifty 
years. The subject of this sketch 
was graduated from Iowa Falls High 
School in 1888, after which a three- 
year course of study was pursued in 
Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa. 

Always, from inclination, associ- 
ating with youth, Palmer naturally 
became a teacher in the public schools 
of Iowa, though his first efforts as a 
pedagogue were put forth in Albany 
County, Territory of Wyoming. In 

this field of usefulness his predilection for athletic sports made him a favorite 
among the younger residents of the community in which he taught. Owing to 
the support of this element, while principal of the schools at Webb, Iowa, Palmer 
was elected mayor of the town and continued to hold that office until he took 
up the study of law, though the principal duties of the mayor of that town 
were to declare small pox quarantines and to act as police judge. 

In 1902 the study of law was taken up by Mr. Palmer, his preliminary 
study being directed by the law firm of Bryson & Bryson and by the Honorable 
S. M. Weaver, since and now a member of the Supreme Bench of the State of 
Iowa. In 1904 Mr. Palmer became a resident of the citv of Santa Monica, where 




W. M. PALMER. 



448 BIOGRAPHICAL 

he has since resided, continuing his law studies in the office of Judge George H. 
Hutton. He was admitted to the. bar of CaHfornia in 1905. 

In 1894 Mr. Palmer was married to Miss Myrtle B. Mosely who had been his 
schoolmate from the primary grade. To them have been born four children. 

Mr. Palmer has, since 1886, been a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and occupied a number of official positions therein. He is an enthusiastic 
believer in the brotherhood of man and advocates strongly fellowship and sym- 
pathy as a means of aiding mankind. He is also is a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. 



George W. Foster, well known citizen and trustee of Ocean Park, is a 
native of Sangamon County, 111., born February 2nd, 1840. His father, Col. 
John D. Foster, was a lawyer by profession, and a native of Clark County, Ky. 
He was a pioneer of Sangamon County, lived near Springfield and practiced law 
throughout that region of country contemporaneously with Abraham Lincoln, 
not unfrequently opposing him in court. Mr. Foster's mother was Eunice Miller, 
also a native of Clark County, Ky. Mr. Foster was the eldest of seven children 
and spent his boyhood in Sangamon County. In 1853 the family removed to 
Missouri and settled at Kirksville, the county seat of Adair County. At the 
breaking out of the Civil War he recruited the 22nd Missouri Volunteer Infantry 
and commanded the same during the conffict. He was a brave and fearless 
officer and led his men in bloody charges against the enemy's breastworks at 
the seige of Corinth and in many other hard fought battles. Notwithstanding 
his youth, young George W. joined his father's regiment and was at his side 
during and to the close of the war. He held a commission as Quartermaster- 
Sergeant. He participated in the hottest of the fight at Corinth and many other 
battles. He served three years, luckily escaping bodily injury, and was mus- 
tered out of service at St. Louis in February, 1865. After the war he returned 
to Sangamon County, 111., and pursued farming until 1878, when he removed 
to Kirksville, Mo. There he left his family and went to Leadville, Colorado, 
to engage in mining. He followed mining in all of its phases until 1902, when 
he came to Ocean Park, bought a home and settled down. Leisure proved 
not a luxury to him, however, and he took up his trade, that of a carpenter, 
and is the efficient foreman of the carpenter department of the Abbot Kinney 
Company at Venice. 

Mr. Foster married, at Kirksville, Mo., Miss Margaret Scott, a native of 
Boone County, Ky., born 1845, who was sixteen years of age at the time of her 
marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Foster have four children living — Emma, wife of E. 
D. Wheeler, of Ocean Park; W. F. Foster, of Denver, Colorado; Abbie A., Mrs. 
F. C. McArthur, of Los Angeles, and Dora Bell wife of Fred Olds, of Milwaukee, 
Wis. John D. Foster met accidental death in a mine in Colorado in 1902, and 
George E. died at the age of twelve years in Denver. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 449 

Mr. Foster is an active and popular citizen and takes an interest in local 
public affairs. In April, 1908, he was elected a member of the Ocean Park Board 
of City Trustees and is a member of the following important committees: Fi- 
nance, Lighting, Building and Lands. He is a charter member G. A. R., 
Farragut Post Dunn, is enrolled at the Soldiers' Home and is pensioned at 
$12.00 a month. 



Walter Mundell, P. M. of Sawtelle, is a native of Scotland and was born 
in Ross-shire, within three miles of Lands End, September 4th, 1842. His father 
was Robert Mundell, a shepherd by occupation and a son of David Mundell, 
who was by trade a cabinet maker. He was a prominent Free Mason and 
received his third degree in that order from Robert Burns, the great Scotch 
poet, who was then master of Kelwinning Lodge No. 1. David Mundell and 
Robert Burns were strong personal friends. There is now in possession of 
David Mundell, an older son, the first copy of the first edition of Robert Burns" 
works, presented to David Mundell by the author. David Mundell at the time 
lived in Dumfriesshire, where Burns was government excise officer. Walter 
Mundell was about fourteen years of age when the familv left their native heath 
and came to America. They located in Pickaway county, Ohio, on a farm where 
the parents lived until the close of their earthly career. Besides Walter, there 
are two sons living, David and James, the former at the , old home and the 
latter in Wilson county, Kansas. In August, 1862, Mr. Mundell, with his 
brother, James, enlisted in the Civil War and were mustered into Company A, 
114th Ohio Infantry, under Captain John Lynch. They served under Grant at 
the siege of Vicksburg, where the subject of this sketch was wounded in both 
arms and taken to the army hospital at New Orleans. While there he was 
nursed by Mrs. Lizzie Southworth. A warm friendship ripened into mutual 
love and, when he had sufficiently recovered from his wounds, they were married 
September 20th, 1864. They made a wedding journey to the Ohio home, where 
the wife remained while the husband returned to his regiment at the front to 
complete his term of enlistment. 

Mrs. Mundell is a daughter of James Ince and was born in England, Chor- 
ley, Lancashire. Her father was a wholesale merchant. She grew up at her 
native home and there married George Southworth, who was by trade a painter 
and glazier. They came to America in the year 1859 and located at Lancaster, 
Dallas county, Texas. L'pon the breaking out of the Civil War. Mr. South- 
worth was conscripted into the Confederate army. He determined not to fight 
against the Union and crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico, where he was taken 
sick and died in the vicinity of Monterey. The stricken widow and only son. 
John, took the remains to Monterey, where the interment took place and she 
proceeded to return to England. Upon reaching Brownsville, she met General 
Herron. who induced her to take up army nursing. The battle of Brownsville 

29 



450 BIOGRAPHICAL 

soon took place and she accepted the offered position of nurse. She went down 
the Rio Grande river, crossed the gulf as nurse in charge of the hospital boat 
and landed at New Orleans, where she continued her work. 

The Mundell brothers both filled out their terms of enlistment and were 
mustered out of service in August, 1865, having served three years. Mr. Mun- 
dell, after the war, returned home and followed his trade, which was that of a 
millwright, and also that of stationary engineer. He came with his family to 
California and in 1887 located in Los Angeles, purchased a home and for a 
time lived in retirement. Later he was for about eight years in the employ of 
the street department and latterly four and a half years the park commissioner 
of the city. He located in Sawtelle in the fall of 1904, and in 1906 was ap- 
jiointed postmaster of that city by President Roosevelt. Mr. and Mrs. Mundell 
have one son, Robert, wdio is engaged in the lumber business at Oberlin, Kansas, 
and a daughter, Myrtle, who is assistant postmaster at Sawtelle. Mrs. Mundell 
has, by her former marriage, one son, John Southworth, who is proprietor of the 
Southworth apartments on Kinney street. Ocean Park. Mr. Mundell has always 
been an active republican and, while never seeking ofihce, has repeatedly attended 
the party conventions as delegate from his home district or precinct. He is a 
member of the F. and A. M. 



Joseph Jefferson Davis, widely known as a successful man of affairs, 
as head of the Santa Monica Land & Water Company and identified with other 
extensive business enterprises, is a native of Ottawa, Canada, born August 8th, 
1869. His father, Jefferson Davis, was a capitalist and land owner, a native 
of Lancaster, England, and his mother, Mary Proctor, was of Sussex, England. 
The family came to the United States and located at Milwaukee, Wis., about 1862, 
there the father died, the mother surviving until 1903, when she passed away 
at Santa Monica at seventy-five years of age. Mr. Davis came to California in 
1890. In 1895 he entered actively into the organization of the United Electric 
Gas & Power Company, for the purpose of supplying light, fuel and power to 
the city of Santa Monica and vicinity. Mr. Davis was vice president and general 
manager with offices at Santa Monica. In 1900 this company's stock and plant 
was sold to the Edison Electric Company and Mr. Davis, in 1905, associated 
with R. C. Gillis, purchased the San Vicente y Santa Monica Grants and interested 
others with them, which resulted in the development of that section of the country 
known as Westgate, Brentwood Park and Carlos Heights along the foothills. 

In 1903 Mr. Davis formed a company and took over all of the interests 
of the Santa Monica Land & Water Company. He also purchased the unsold 
lands of the San Vicente and the Boca Santa Monica Grants (see index, West- 
gate) and has spent an almost fabulous amount of money in improvements there- 
on. Mr. Davis, vice president of the Santa Monica Land & Water Company, 



BIOGRAPHICAL 451 

is a stockholder and director in the Broadway Bank in Los Angeles and has 
other extensive financial and property interests. 

Mr. Davis married, in 1896, Miss Emma Volkman, a daughter of Martin 
Volkman, of Santa Monica. They have three sons, Herbert Leslie, Robert 
Carlyle and Joseph Jefferson. The family residence is one of the finest modern 
country seats at Westgate. 



Alf. Morris, popular citizen of Santa Monica and president of the City 
Council, is a native of England, now fifty-six years of age. He received his 
education in a private grammar school and at the age of sixteen years entered 
the counting house of one of the largest foreign shippers as an accountant. 
He spent several years in this employ and acquired a thorough knowledge 
of the business. Subsequently he took a position as an employee of the Great 
Western R. R. Company, acting as chief clerk in a branch ofifice. He arrived 
in New York City nearly thirty years ago and spent two years traveling in the 
states. He then engaged in the hotel business in the city of Chicago and met 
with a liberal degree of success. He came to California and located at Santa 
Monica in 1894, successfully conducting a restaurant business. In October, 
1898, he purchased the Santa Monica Steam Laundry, operating the same 
until October, 1905. He built up an extensive and profitable business in this 
line, later disposing of it. He then bent his energies to the building of the 
Kensington Apartments. These have proven to be, not only an innovation 
in the line of family residential apartments, but with their convenient location 
to the quick transportation to and from Los Angeles, their close proximity 
to the sea beach and surf bathing and with their grand views of the ocean, they 
compose one of the most valuable property holdings of the kind extant. Mean- 
time, Mr. Morris has made several profitable real estate deals and has, withal, 
become one of Santa Monica's most substantial property owners. 

Mr. Morris has always been enterprising and alive to the best interests of 
his adopted city, and has borne his part in the promotion of its civic and political 
welfare. He was elected to the first city council under the Freeholders Charter 
from the fourth ward and took his seat April 15th, 1907. He was chosen pre- 
siding officer of this body. As president of the council his services have proven 
valuable, having brought honor and dignity to the position by the pursuance of a 
broad, impartial and judicious policy. His genial personality, uniform kind- 
ness and courteous bearing must have had much to do with his prosperity and 
success in life. 

Mr. Morris' mother died when he was yet a youth. His father, was, for 
many years, a manager for some of the largest mercantile houses in England. 
He died greatly respected in the year 1891. Mr. Morris married Miss Annette 
Olsen in the city of New York, January 20th, 1890. She is a daughter of Prof. 
O. Olsen, of Chicago, a native of Norway, and one of the finest scenic and land- 
scape painters in the country. 




J. H. DOBBINGS. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 453 

J. H. DoBBiNGS, native of Middleboro, Yorkshire. Enoland. was born April 
13th, 1864, the son of John and Sarah (Bell) Dobbings.' John Dobbings was 
born in Elstow, Bedfordshire. England, and his wife at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
England. John Dobbings was by occupation a mining superintendent and' for 
a period of twenty-six years was thus employed in his native land. He came 
to the United States in 1888 and is since a resident of Pasadena. Both his 
father, J. G. Dobbings, and his grandfather, John T.. have to their credit long 
terms of service in the British navy— J. G. Dobbings being an officer thereo'f 
and retired at sixty-four years of age. Mr. Dobbings' maternal grandfather, 
George Bell, was an experienced railroad man and division manager of the 
North Eastern Ry., in England. J. H. Dobbings attended the local public schools 
of his native town. In 1878, being then a youth of fourteen years, he entered 
the employ of Blockow-Vaughn & Company of Middleboro. as an apprentice 
to learn marine engineering and served seven years. In September, 1885, 
he embarked for the United States and, upon arrival, located at Des Moines', 
Iowa, where he worked at his trade. In the spring of 1886, he came to Cali- 
fornia and worked for the Risdon Iron Works at San Francisco, until October, 
1887. He then came to Pasadena and engaged in the retail oil business. In' 
1889. he went to San Diego and, until 1893. was chief engineer of the Fourth 
Street Cable R\-. Company. He then came to Santa Monica and was appointed 
first assistant engineer at the Soldiers' Home. In January, 1904. he was made 
chief engineer, which position he now holds. In January, 1887. he married 
Miss Alattie A. Evans, a native of Concord, N. H., and daughter of George 
Allen Evans (see index.) Mr. Dobbings became a naturalized citizen of the 
United States in 1890 and the country has no more loyal citizen and enthusi- 
astic American. He is one of the prominent Masons of Southern California. 
He is past master of the Santa Monica Blue Lodge, member of Perfection 
Lodge No. 3 of- Los Angeles, and Rose Croix Chapter. A. A. S. R. Temple of 
Los Angeles. He is past master of A'eteran Lodge 373. Sawtelle. and a life 
member of the Masonic Veterans' Association of the Pacific Coast. He is a 
member of the Uniform Rank of the K. of P.. Santa Monica, and a member 
of the National Association of Stationary Engineers. He is an influential 
republican and a member of the Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Dobbings 
have one son. Olney J., and a daughter. Dorothv Bell. 



Charles S. Dales, for years a well-known citizen of Santa Monica, was 
born in the State of New York. September 20, 1853. For some vears as a 
young man he followed railroad telegraphy. He married at Middleport. White 
county, Illinois, Miss Dora, a daughter of D. W. Galloway, a successful farmer. 
She died, leaving two sons, E. V. and John B. Dales, prosperous grocery mer- 



454 BIOGRAPHICAL 

chants of Santa Monica, doing business under the firm name of Dales Brothers, 
brief sketches of whom appear elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Dales came to 
California in 1886 and spent one year in Santa Cruz. In 1887 he came to Santa 
Monica and for a time clerked in the clothing store of C. B. Van Every. He 
was later elected City Clerk of Santa Monica and subsequently served as Con- 
stable. He is (1908) serving his second term as City Assessor of Santa J^Ionica. 
The present Mrs. Dales was Miss Anna Felts of Bellville. 111. She has one 
daughter. ]\Iarion. 



John B. Dales, successful grocery merchant and junior member of the 
firm of Dales Brothers. Santa Monica, was born in the town of Roland. White 
county. Illinois. September 23. 1880. a son of Charles S. and Dora Galloway 
Dales. (See biographical mention of Charles S. Dales elsewhere in this volume). 

In 1886 the family located in Santa Monica and here Mr. Dales attended 
the public schools, graduating from the Santa Monica High School in the class 
of 1898. In 1902 he entered the present business firm of Dales Brothers. For 
two years he was in charge of the Dales Brothers' branch grocery house at Ocean 
Park, until the consolidation of both stores at Santa Monica. 

Mr. Dales married in 1903 Miss Leah Johnson, a daughter of C. C. Johnson 
of St. Louis, Mo. They have one son, Leighton. His home is 1014 Fourth 
street. 

Mr. Dales is Past Master of Ocean Park Lodge F. and A. M. and member 
of the B. P. O. E., Santa Monica. 



T. J. Connelly, is a native son of the Golden West, born in Amador County, 
California, August 9th, 1861. His father, Jeremiah Connelly, was a miner and 
lost his Hfe by accident in the mines. Young Connelly went to Nevada where 
he learned the trade of blacksmith. He spent several years in mining camps, 
a portion of this time as an engineer in the Calico Mining District. He came 
to Santa Monica in 1892 where he has successfully engaged in general black- 
smithing and horse shoeing. 

He married Miss Mary E. Collins, daughter of Mrs. Kate Collins, deceased, 
one of the pioneers of California and Santa Monica; they have three sons and 
three daughteis — Miss Winnie, John T., Jr. ; Agnes, Ellen, Lawrence and PToward, 
all residing at 1333 Third Street, Santa Monica. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 455 

George C. Boehme is a native Californian, born at Sacramento, November 
29th, 1860. He is the oldest son of George Boehme, a well known pioneer 
of Santa Monica. He was schooled in Sacramento, and afterward learned 
the trade of a tinner and plumber. Leaving home at eighteen years of age, he 
pursued his trade in San Francisco. He spent the years from 1882 to 1884 in 
Los Angeles, managing the extensive tinning and plumbing business of Harper, 
Reynolds & Company. The years 1885 and 1886 were spent at San Bernardino.' 
Locating at Santa Monica in 1887 he embarked in the hardware and plumbing 
business at which he has been continuously engaged until the present year, 1907, 
but is now closing out. 

Mr. Boehme was married in 1884 at San Bernardino to Miss Addie Oliver, 
a native of Calaveras County, California. They have four children, Henry I., 
Howard E., Margaret M., and Herbert L. Boehme. Mrs. Boehme died. 

He has been uniformly successful ; was one of the original organizers of the 
Santa Monica Fire Company No. 1, has always taken an active interest in its 
success and upbuilding and is its present President. He owns an attractive 
residence on Sixth Street, and other valuable property in the city. 



John Guntrup, secretary of the Golden State Plant & Floral Co. (Incoi- 
porated), of Santa Monica, is a native of England and was born in Wolverton, 
in 1854, a son of Thomas Guntrup, who for fifteen years was a locomotive engineer 
for the London & Northwestern Ry. Co., running from Rugby to London. 
The British Government then sent him to India and he ran out of Bombay for 
about two and one half years. He then returned to England and in 1866 came 
to America, located at Corning, N. Y., and was with the Erie Ry. Co. for several 
years. He lived at Corning until he came to California with his son in the year 
1885. He died at Santa Monica July 5th, 1908 The wife was, by maiden 
name, Mary White She died at Corning, N. Y., in 1879. She was mother of 
ten children, of whom four are living in New York. 

The subject of this sketch spent thirty-five years as a mechanic in Preston 
& Heerman's Foundry and Machine Shop at Corning, N. Y., a portion of his 
young manhood, commencing as an apprentice at sixteen years of age. He 
married at Corning, Miss Emma L. Quandt, a native of Rochester, N. Y., and 
they have two sons and two daughters— Mrs. E. B. Dequine, of Los Angeles; 
Mrs. F. J. Allington, of Corning, N. Y. ; Arthur J,, of Corning, and William T., 
auditor for the Armour Packing Co., at Richmond, Va. Mr. Guntrup was a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. and was a Maccabee. The Golden State Plant & Floral Co. 
(Inc.), of which Mr. Guntrup was secretary, is one of the most extensive enterprises 
of Its kind on the Pacific Coast. It was incorporated April 28th, 1903, with a 
capital stock of $25,000; T. H. Dudley, president; Victor E. Hathaway, vice 
president and general manager. They occupy five acres of land, propagating 
a full line of general nursery stock and making a specialty of palms and all varieties 
of ornamental trees and shrubbery. 



456 BIOGRAPHICAL 

J. B. E. Smale, dry goods merchant of this city, is a native of Scotland, 
having been born in Perthshire, Town of StirHng, July 24th, 1858. His father, 
William John Smale, was an excise officer of the Government Customs Office. 
Young Smale lived at home until he reached his twenty-first year and then went 
to London. In this city he held for five years a responsible position in the mer- 
cantile house of William Whitley, who is known upon the eastern continent as 
"The Great Universal Provider." This house is, without question, the largest 
establishment in its line in the world Mr. Smale was a salesman in the gents' 
furnishing goods department. He came to America in 1883 and located at 
Providence, R. L, where he became identified with the Scotch Syndicate Store 
in that city. In 1887 he went to Ashland, Wisconsin, and engaged in the general 
drygoods business. The winters of this locality proved too severe for his health 
and he removed to Omaha, Nebraska, where he became buyer in the dress goods 
department for the N. B. Falconer Co., the largest of its kind in that city. In 
1892 he came still farther west to Leadville, Colorado, and for twelve years en- 
gaged in the drygoods business as a member of the Blakely-Smale Drygoods 
Company. The altitude was, however, too high for good health and Mr. Smale 
sold his interest in the business and came to Southern California. He traveled 
for one year until he had gained a fair knoAvledge of the country and then, on 
March 3rd, 1905, opened his present store. This place of business, which has 
become one of the popular trading places of Santa Monica, is situated at 1456 
Third Street. In the year 1892, at Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Smale was married to 
Miss Alice Maud Morse, of Bath, Maine. Miss Morse was a daughter of Reuben 
Morse, a wealthy lumber and timber merchant of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Smale 
have three children — a son, Kenneth, and two daughters, Dorothy and Pauline. 

Mr. Smale is one of Santa Monica's most highly esteemed citizens and, as a 
merchant, is in the No.l class. He takes a becoming interest in all matters of 
public concern and supports liberally all worthy local enterprises. He is a charter 
member of the Santa Monica Board of Trade and a member of the executive 
committee of that body. 



Rev. James A. O'Callaghan, the present assistant parish priest of Santa 
Monica, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in the year 1880. At the age of 
thirteen he began his study of the classics at St. Brandon's Seminary, Killarney, 
whence he graduated four years afterward and entered the historic halls of 
St. Patrick's College, Carlow, to pursue the study of philosophy, theology and 
scripture, and in other respects fit himself for the sacred office of the priesthood. 

Leaving Carlow College in 1902 he came to the United ^States and entered 
St. Bernard's Seminary, Rochester, New York, from w^hence he was ordained 
priest at the hands of Right Reverend Bishop McQuaide, on June 6th, 1903, 
after which a brief visit was made to his home in Ireland. On his return Father 
O'Callaghan was appointed assistant pastor to Father Hawe, at Santa Monica, 
where both have since labored for thv glory of God and uplifting of humanity. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



457 



Adolph Petsch, retired, Santa Monica, was born in the city of Frankfurt- 
on-thc-Main, Germany, August 12th, 1852. He was educated in the Frankfurt 
pubUc schools and pursued a course 
of study in a business college. When, 
in 1866, the free city of Frankfurt 
lost its independence and was annexed 
by the kingdom of Prussia, young 
Petsch, although a lad of only fourteen 
years, believed that government with- 
out the consent of the governed was 
a mistake to which he could not sub- 
mit. In 1869, rather than submit to 
the newly imposed degradation of mil- 
itary service, he left, as a political 
exile, the home in which his family 
had been prominent for a period of 
six hundred years. In October, 1869, 
he landed in New York and went di- 
rectly to St. Louis, where two uncles, 
also political exiles, had settled in 
1831. After a short stay he returned 
to Europe intending to locate in 
Southern France, but the Franco- 
Prussian War drove him to Switzer- 
land. He also visited Metz in Lor- 
raine and there the Prussian government found and exiled him in 1872. He 
then went to Belgium where he remained about five years in the city of Verviers, 
engaged in the banking business, but being without citizenship, and Belgium, 
like Switzerland, accepting no foreigners, he was led to seek a new home. He 
again came to America and to St. Louis, Mo. 

On April 11th, 1877, the Southern Hotel in that city was destroyed by fire 
and Mr. Petsch only saved his life by escape from a fifth story window by means 
of a rope made from sheets from the bed. Injuries sustained in this fire made 
him an invalid for two years, which fact brought him to Southern California, 
after a short stay in San Francisco. He was naturalized in 1882 and has since 
left the state only to pay two short visits to parents and the old home in Europe. 
In Pasadena, in the early part of the year 1878, he obtained his first ideas of 
horticulture and viticulture. At this period the Pasadena colony was short of 
water and Mr. Petsch began to look around for an abundant irrigation supply. 
During the summer of 1880 he spent, in company with Judge Benjamin S. Eaton, 
the pioneer of Pasadena, several months in traveling over the southern counties. 
In one of these trips he bought an interest in the Day Canyon Water Company 
and also made filings under the desert land act on some government land. Soon 




ADOLPH PETSCH. 



458 BIOGRAPHICAL 

after he sold this to the Chaffey Brothers, and upon it they founded what is now 
a portion of the beautiful Etiwanda. Mr. Petsch then purchased one hundred 
and sixty acres pre-emption claim of Henry Reed, together with available 
water rights in nearby canyons, and the first steps to the founding of what became 
the Hermosa Colony were taken. He added some four hundred acres to his 
original purchase, organized a water company, platted his holdings into lots of 
convenient size for small farms, bordered the streets with ornamental shade 
trees and wind break, planted some of the tract to orange and other citrus fruit 
trees, and eventually disposed of the entire tract to homeseekers. The enter- 
prise was beset with some difficulties, but none so formidable as to deter the 
indomitable Petsch from the execution of his plans. Wild jack rabbits raided 
his orchards and girdled his trees and Mr. Petsch made a characteristic move 
against them by building a solid stone and cement wall with iron gates around 
the tract to shut them out. While this was, in a measure, a failure as a rabbit 
tight fence, it was so much talked and written about as to make Hermosa famous, 
and proved to be valuable advertising. The phenomenal success of Hermosa 
led, in 1883, to the establishment of the Iowa colony on adjoining lands. The 
two names were finally blended into that of "loamosa," an occurrence for which 
Mr. Petsch disclaims any responsibility. In 1884 Mr. Petsch married a native 
daughter of California, whose father, John L. Frese, was a pioneer of Oakland. 
In 1892 he retired from Hermosa to Los Angeles and there became popularly 
known as the tireless promotor of La Fiesta de Los Angeles. His great energy 
and enthusiasm fired all Los Angeles with the Fiesta spirit from year to year. 
The marvelous beauty and uniqueness of its floral parade, made by the numerous 
and costly floats, were the direct outcome of his own designs and personal over- 
sight in construction. For several years the family home was at Figueroa and 
Twenty-first Street, until they made a trip to Europe in 1894 Upon their 
return, they purchased property, built a home and settled in Santa Monica. 
Mr. Petsch is an active member of the Santa Monica Board of Trade, and the 
novel, original and strikingly appropriate interior decorations and furnishing 
of the Board of Trade rooms are due to his genius. Mr. and Mrs. Petsch have one 
son, Carl. 



James D. Simpsox, Venice, is a native of Iowa, born in the city of Dubuque, 
October 22nd, 1860. His father, John Simpson and mother, Martha (Lobley) 
Simpson; were both of English birth and natives of Yorkshire. John Simpson 
was interested in lead mining in England. He came to America about the year 
1840 and was one of the pioneer settlers of Dubuque, Iowa. He there engaged 
in mining and became successfully identified with other business enterprises. 
He died in Dubuque in 1890 at about eighty years of age, his estimable wife 
having preceded him in 1888 at the age of seventy-eight years. James D. was 
the youngest of their six children and grew up in the city of Dubuque, passing 
through the graded schools and closing his studies at Cornell University. In 



BIOGRAPHICAL 459 

1882 he went to Paullina, O'Brien County, Iowa, and for twelve years was cashier 

o the bank of that place. In 1893 he became sole owner in the estabTishment 

of the Bank of Merrill at Merrill, Iowa, and at Le Mars, Iowa, In .905 t c-e 

o Vemce to assume charge of the mterests of Mr, John Metcalf, and provTd 

Gatew t' XTs", '? T '''""« ""* ^"' development of the Venice 

Gateway, He was also one of the organizers of the Venice Shoe Manufacturing 
Company (Inc. and .s a director and vice president of the company, Mr Smpson 
marrjed at Paulhna, Iowa, in 1890, Miss Evelyn Micklett, a daughter of h"S on 
Mr klett^ owner of the Paull.n Ranch. They have two children-Elizab th 
Paullm Smrpson and Evelyn Marie Simpson. The family residence at Venice 
Gateways one of the many attractive modern homes of' that thrifty subub 
Mr. Simpson ,s one of the most active and enthusiastic citizens of Venice' 
being an influential member of the Venice Chamber of Commerce and an ardent 

Ms^aired dr' r""T'- "^ "^^^ "-■^'^^^ ^-^'^ - ^^^ stabt future : 
ms adopted city. He is a charter member of the orders B, P Q E at Le Mars 
Iowa, and I. O. O. F. and K. of P., of Paullina, Iowa. 



and tTv7 ^ J^"'"":' '°' ^bo"t twenty-two years a resident of Santa Monica, 
and well known as an active and successful business man, is a native of Kankakee 

Sheffield En^la'd '^H "™- "'^ '''""■ ^^^P"^" J^''-"' ^^ ^ -*-' °f 

Annatek!,n 1- "T '° *'" """"'^^ "'*'' '''^ P"-*=' Edmund and 

Anna Jackson , and was raised on a farm near Kankakee, The family consisted 

o seven sons and one daughter. Here young Stephen grew up and'a the ge 
UnterStaT°"A '^^«t"^°"* "' '^' ^'"' ^^^' ^'^^^ ^ ^ ™'-teer in the 

by eason o h ''■ . , " ""' '° '"""'^ °PP°^^'^ '° '"e move that, 

by reason of his age, he demanded and secured his release and return home 

bovtTat h , J"'"', ""f ''™* *=''*'= °f ""^y "'« had so fired the zeal of the 
boy that he clandestinely left home and re-entered the army. He was an expert 

SWSho'ot^'^rH"'"'^""^" ""^^ ™^ '^"°™ - ™'''-y circles as Yae 
Sharp Shooters and during his term of service was almost continuously on active 

right" an^leT- "r ^i" ,°' '"°''°"' "°""*^'"' -^'^"^ ™" fe" at both his 
right and left in line of battle, and was also in many other fierce and bloodv 

.Tsfa-r Sherr„" '""^ "^ '^^ ""^^ *^™-'^ ^-^ -^ '^-^^ 

a nat^vrof'r "'?""p° TV"" '' """""' *'"= ^''^^ "^"""^^ ^* Kankakee. 
Land R °' '-°"''°"' ''"«'='"^- "« »t"cd the employ of the Chicago & Rock 
island R, R, Company as a track man and became a civil engineer, finally doinc 

PacIlcTalT 7 '°^-*'" "r '^°« * '^•'■f- 'h« Te-xas^acific and' Union 
i^achc Railway Companies. He came to California in 1883 and to Southern 
California m .885, locating in Santa Monica in February, .886. He buil the 
Santa Monica and Soldiers' Home horse car line for the W D. Vawter Con any 
Fie owned the old North Beach Hotel and laid the first sidewalk on Third Stret' 



460 BIOGRAPHICAL 

in front of what was then the E. D. Suits meat market, now Kennedy's Buffalo 
Market. He made the first street grade in Santa Monica, which was on Second 
Street from Utah to Nevada Avenues. He did the contract work for the U. 
S. Government at the National Soldiers' Home. He at one time owned the Santa 
Monica Hotel, now the North Beach Hotel, which he sold to J. M. Orr. He took 
an active part in local civic affairs and was highly esteemed for his sterling merits 
as a citizen and a business man. As a veteran of the Civil War he was very 
popular in the Grand Army of the Republic and when the G. A. R. post was 
organized at Santa Monica it was given the name of Stephen Jackson post. 
He died April 18th, 1898. 

Arthur Jackson was a lad of sixteen years when the family located in Santa 
Monica. He passed through the local schools and entered the employ of his 
father as timekeeper and accountant. In 1893 he opened a cigar and tobacco 
store on Third vStreet; finally disposing of this stock he replaced it with books, 
stationery, toys and school supplies, later adding a stock of pianos. He conducts 
the Los Angeles Daily Times and the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper routes 
which constitutes a feature of his business. 

In 1894 Mr. Jackson married Miss Mary H. Lawrence, a native of San Diego, 
California, the daughter of Mr. Frank Lawrence, who was the first representative 
of the Wells Fargo Express Co. in that city. They have two sons — Lawrence A., 
and Kenneth A. Mr. Jackson is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the I. O. O. F. 
and the B. P. O. E. Mrs. Jackson is Past Matron and Grand Organist of the O. E. 
S. The familv residence is at No. 1117 Fifth Street. 



Robert Crawford Dobson is a typical California pioneer. He came 
overland to California in 1850 via the northern route; that is, along the north 
fork of the Platte River from Platte County, Mo. He was born in Greyson 
County, Va., June 26th, 1836. His father, Robert Dobson, was a potter by trade , 
who raised two sons and seven daughters. Robert Crawford left home when 
a boy and lived with a sister. At thirteen years of age he joined the rush to 
California, a result of the discovery of gold. He mined gold in the placer diggings 
at Hangtown, later at Agua Trio, in Mariposa County. He came south to Los 
Angeles in 1860 and was appointed jailer of Los Angeles County by Sheriff 
Thomas Sanchez, who was in office at the time of the unofficial hanging of 
Laschenes and the occurence of the Chinese riot. He served eight years in this 
capacity and was later on the city police force several years under William 
Warrens, who as marshal, was Chief of Police. He left Los Angeles about 1887 
and has for some years past lived at Santa Monica His present and permanent 
home is at Irwin Heights 

Mr. Dobson married Miss Marcalie Melindrus, a native of Los Angeles County, 
and they have two living children — Mary, who is Mrs. C. E. Towner, and 
Virginia. 



RIOGRAPHICAL 

4ol 



Mrs. Catherine Collins, a widow then residpnt ,-,fS i- 
from a map on file in a real estate agency i he" c tv tw . L , ?"/"'"■ ""'"'''^ 

a Change of ^n...^"r:::^:z:r::^z::i:7^^i::^-'^:'y 

had ereeted a dwelling. She tnded at h.S^' t m"- ' ''''""'"' ''^ ^"^ 

.375. Shestead„yi4roved.nriltn'stbrgMt:!::;;r"'^^^^ 
east corner of Utah Avptiup ^r.ri q i o. ^^^^^ni ^^^o lots at the north- 

residence to this tw^rchase convened T'' t'"' ^°°" *'^"^"^^ "°^=^ '^e 
profitable business by akinTth; • ? . '"'° "" ™°"""S '™"^<= ^nd did a 

Hotel. She beca:i'i:f zttH oiit; otzit t^t ■"°"- 

who beeante her guests, as a good woniln of st ngtai s ofharL't ^ '""""'I 
endeavor and business ability. She conducted the C„l i h "^'f'"'^"' <^^'-"'=st 

r:: 'r: ri^r r ■ hef l:;- ^-f °f f - -- -uTcr-; 
LTot j.rp::--vTr "^^^^^^^^^^^^ cits,:':at'.r4tgr;T- 

=r:= o:S^V?=^^^ - .n^ 

chiMren, one lit^^ r;^::^:::^":;;^ f rcrinejst^rti"'' '"- 

which consumed four months and entailed many hardships '' ^°"™^' 

Fort hLc, S."L"'S.:rD'"weTr'''''""\'°"'"^- "^« °"-'' "^ "^s at 
flt fift.. , f ' " ^'^°'^" '^ Santa Monica, died here in loo^ 

::\l'^ro?;.T' rrr :-e"oT r^"-;; ^"'"- ■- --— Ma^E.- 

business men. Agnes is th 'wife of CHr '? '"P^"^^ ^""^ =-«-f"' 

Tien-tsin, China. \ a s:l;':a:r,age"to'rr'ro .^rr o!ir?T' °' 
daughters, twins, Lucy and Elizabeth Corbett Collins ''"' '"'^ 



Monica.'' Hl'i": L^oVdI!;' Tm ^°"" f"' ^"^^^^^'"' ^"^'"-^ -- °f Santa 
this volume *'"°y' " ^"^''''^'^ "' ""™™ appears elsewhere in 

in the hir7J'rheX v;sr'j!rvtT^ r t-^ -^^^ -^ -^'^ 

he was engaged on the MaHh, Cr/ , !i ' ^'<'^'''°1^"'8 ™ter- Later 

Rindge. Ibout moL Grant in the same capacity for Frederick H. 

and ifas acquired 1 thorou^hroTd "",'"' "'f ' °" ^™'^^^'^- ^ ^ "^-i--- 
water cour es, whi h has broultif "''" ''' *'' '""' °' ™derg,ound 
Mr, Meloy has a fortune LeTf ''" ''"™"''' ^"'^ P™fitable business. 

Heownsvalulblprretvin ?/"»,'"'""' '"'""'"^ "^ well-boring outfits, 
a uaoie property in Santa Monica and a ranch up the coast. 



462 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Nicholas Gabriel Baida. The brief story of Mr. Baida's career is a 
forcible illustration of what well-directed energy, industry and enterprise can 
be made to accomplish in this free country of opportunities for the poor man. 
He was born in the year 1869 in the ancient city of Beyrout, Syria, Turkey, 
which is one of the most flourishing seaport towns on the Mediterranean Sea, 
and about fifty-seven miles from Damascus. His father, Gabriel Baida, was 
a stone cutter by trade ; an industrious man and a devout member of the Greek 
orthodox church, having faith in Christ as their Savior, adherents to which 
faith were rigidly circumscribed and ofttimes persecuted by the dominant 
church of that country. Being an ardent Christian, he raised his family in the 
faith. Nicholas Gabriel was the oldest of the family of five sons and two daugh- 
ters, and recognizing the difficulties that hampered the ambitious youth of his 
country to make for themselves a prosperous future, he decided to avail himself 
of the privileges of a free government and in 1890 came to America, landing at 
Castle Garden, New York City. 

He came almost immediately to California and opened a small store for the 
sale of oriental rugs and drapery on North Main Street, Los Angeles, where he 
prospered in business. In 1905 he opened a branch store on Pier Avenue, 
Ocean Park, which he continued for about two years. Besides his present estab- 
lishment at No. 414 South Main Street, Los Angeles, he has a store at No. 1662 
Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, which is doing a prosperous business. 

In 1897 Baida married in Los Angeles, Miss Saiedia Safady, a native of 
Syria, a lady of rare intelligence and feminine graces of the Oriental type. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. Baida speak the English with a remarkable degree of accuracy. 
They have five children — Gabriel, Zeimoztaney, Adella, Stossel and Isabella. 
The Baida Moorish palace at the corner of South Third Street and Bicknell 
Avenue, Santa Monica, is one of the most imposing and strikingly unique private 
residences in the Crescent Bay City. Its elevation commands a sweeping view 
of the ocean, Santa Monica, Ocean Park, Playa del Rey, Redondo and Santa 
Catalina Island. It is purely Oriental in its architecture and interior arrange- 
ment and equipped with all modern conveniences. 



Mr. and Mis. John Brickner are among the best known of the first settlers 
of Santa Monica, and have seen it grow from a four-corner hamlet to the present 
thrifty proportions of a thriving and promising city. Mr. Brickner is a native 
of Germany and was born near Berlin, January 3rd, 1835. He there spent the 
earlier years of his Hfe and in 1875 married Miss Augusta Court, a maiden of 
sixteen years. They almost immediately came to America, landing in New 
York and made their way westward to San Francisco, thence to Los Angeles, 
where they remained one month. On September 16th, 1875 they came to Santa 
Monica and cast their fortunes with the then new and wholly undeveloped 
seaside city, where they made some substantial investments, which, with the 



BIOGRAPHICAL 4f.3 

-somewhat sudden rise and subsequent fall of the town finally terminated in heavy- 
losses. Later they opened the first store for the sale of curios in Santa Monica, 
which is said to have been the first store in this line in Southern California. 

Mr. Brickner relates interesting stories of his hunting expeditions, notably 
duck hunting on the lagoons of what is now Playa del Rey, and likewise where 
the canal city of Venice now stands. This he pursued in a business-like manner 
and made it quite a source of revenue, finding ready market for his game in Los 
Angeles. Mrs. Brickner took up the curing of the plumage of the many fine 
specimens of these birds and became a somewhat expert taxidermist. The work 
was placed on exhibition with the Agricultural Association of Southern California, 
then the leading institution of its kind in Southern California, and received 
diplomas and cash premiums for superior excellence. They have been continu- 
ously in business in Santa Monica since they arrived here and were for eighteen 
years on Utah Avenue, between Second and Third Streets. In March. 1907, 
they removed their store to No. 210 Third Street, where they have one of the 
most complete stock of curios, notions and furnishing goods in the city. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brickner are widely known and highly esteemed for the-r 
-splendid traits of character and strict integrity in all matters. 



Juan Bandini, a member of one of the earliest and most prominent families 
•of California, is a son of Don Jose Marie Bandini, a venerable citizen of Santa 
Monica and grandson of Don Juan Bandini, who, during his lifetime, was one 
of California's most distinguished and exemplary citizens. He was a native of 
Peru and came to California in 1821 when it was Mexican territory. He lived 
ior several years at San Diego and there married a daughter of Juan Estudillo. 
By this marriage his children weie Arcadia, who became the wife of Don Abel 
Stearns, after his death marrying Col. Robert S. Baker; Josepha, who married 
Pedro C. Carrillo; Ysidora. w^ho married Cave J. Coutts; Jose Marie and Juan. 
Of these children, Mrs. Baker and Jose Marie still survive and are residents of 
Santa Monica. Later Senor Bandini married Senorita Refugio Arguello, and 
of this marriage Dolores, widow of the late Charles E. Johnson; Margurite, 
Mrs. J. B. Winston, and Don Arturo still survive. Senor Bandini spent the 
last years of his life in Los Angeles. He owned large tracts of land in Southern 
California, among others, the Jurupa Grant, lying mostly in what is now River- 
side County, where he for a time resided with his family. This land was granted 
to him in 1838 by the Mexican Government. In 1843 he established the little 
town of Agua Mansa (Gentle Water) upon the bank of the Santa Ana River 
which runs through the grant. He donated building sites to the settlers and 
aided them in the erection of a church. It became a pretty and romantic village 
and the business and social center for the surrounding country. He also owned 
extensive tracts of land in San Diego County, upon a portion of which is now 
located the city of San Diego. He was a man of broad information, an eloquent 



464 BIOGRAPHICAL 

public speaker, whose counsel and opinion had much to do in shaping public 
affairs. He held various positions of public trust under the Mexican Govern- 
ment of California, not the least of which was the adminstration of San Gabriel 
Mission under secularization. He aided in making the first state constitution of 
California and was one of its most able and stalwart supporters. He died in 
Los Angeles in 1859. His daughters were all beautiful women of the most 
intelligent and charming California type and were social leaders of their day. 
Reference to Mrs. Arcadia B. de Baker and to her only surviving sister, Mrs. 
C. E. Johnson, is made elsewhere in this work. 

Jose M. Bandini lived, for the most part of his active business life, on his 
ranch of 4,500 acres near Tia Juana, just over the Mexican line in Lower Califor- 
nia. He retired and has lived at Santa Monica since 1894. The Vs'iie died in 
Los Angeles, October 18th, 1878. Besides Juan Bandini, the third of this name, 
there survive of her children, Mrs. Sarah B. Freeman, of Santa Monica, and 
Josefa, wife of James Thomas, of London, England. Juan Bandini, the third, 
married Miss Ida, daughter of William Frost, now of Florence, Colorado. The 
ceremony took place in San Pedio, January 18th, 1897. They have one son, 
Juan Bandini, Jr. The Bandini home is at 112 7 Second .Street, Santa Monica. 



GusTAV W. ScHUTTE has been a resident of California since 1874. He came 
to Los Angeles at nine years of age. His father, August Schutte, a cabinet maker 
by trade, worked many years for Dotter & Bradley. Young vSchutte attended 
school in the old building that stood at the corner of Spring and Second Streets, 
where now stands the Bryson Block. His teacher was Miss Bengaugh. He 
also attended Miss Parker's school on Eighth Street, between Broadway and Hill 
Streets. He attended the old high school then on the present site of the Los 
Angeles County Court House. He was born in Berlin, Germany, August 1st, 
1866, baptized in St. Stephen's Church. The family came to America in 1868 
and lived for a time at Allegheny City, Pa. Later they came overland to San 
Francisco. Mr. Schutte learned cabinet making and was an expert in the busi- 
ness, but by reason of poor health was compelled to abandon the same, and took 
up the study of music, perfected himself as a cornetist and violinist under German 
masters, notably Prof. J. H. Ohllwedal, a graduate of Leipsig Conservatory. 
Mr. Schutte pursued music as a profession for six years as a member of the original 
orchestra with Lillian Russell, later in Nellis Boyd's "All Gold Instrument 
Band Dramatic Company," two seasons, in which he was known as the boy 
band leader. He was six years in the band of the Pacific Branch of the National 
Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers. He was compelled to abandon music 
because of loss of health and eyesight, and took up his residence at Santa Monica. 
He organized an orchestra of string instruments in his home city and is its leader. 

Mr. Schutte married Miss Sarah Wright, a native of Hillsdale, Michigan. 
She grew up and received her schooling at Washington, D. C. They have four 
children, Bertrand, Raymond, Varney and Jessie, a daughter. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



465 



George W. Corey, M. D., for about fifteen years a resident of California 
and for nine years a citizen of Sawtelle, is a native of Edqar county 111 and 
was born m the town of Grand - ' - 

View, January 10th. 1833. His 
father, Jonathan Corey, was a thrifty 
farmer and incidentally a preacher 

in the M. E. Church. His mother. 

by maiden name Diademia Griffith. 

was a daughter of John Griffith, a 

farmer and brick manufacturer. 

Both the Coreys and the Griffiths 

were full-fledged Scotchmen from 

Dumfriesshire. They were both am- 
bitious men and left the old estate 

in Scotland to seek their fortunes in 

a country of greater opportunities. 

Jonathan Corey, upon his arrival in 

this country, went to Olean, Cat- 
taraugus county, Southern New 

York, where he married. There, he 

and John Griffith jointly built a flat 

boat and with their families sailed 

down the Allegheny river to Pitts- 
burg ; thence down the Ohio river to 
Cincinnati, where the}- landed. They 
were among the early pioneers of 

that now large and wealthy city. Here John Griffith burned the first bricks and 
erected the first building of Miami College. He afterwards removed to Rock 
county. Wis., and practically retired from business at Evansville. where he died 
about 18o8. Mr. Corey went on westward and settled in Illinois, about thirty 
miles west of Terre Haute, in Edgar county. There he lived until about 1836 
when he moved to Rock Grove, in Stevenson countv. the same state on the Wis- 
consin state line. In 1850 he went to Monroe. Green countv. Wis where he 
lived until his death in 1859. The mother came west and spent her declinin- 
years with a daughter, Isabel Moses, at Leavenworth, Kansas. She died at the 
age of eighty-six years, and was the mother of sixteen children, fourteen of whom 
she raised to maturity. 

Dr. Corey, the subject of this sketch, spent his bovhood at Rock Grove 
Stevenson county, 111. When yet a youth he purchased a scholarship in the 
Lawrence University at Appleton. Wis., where he took a two xeavs' course of 
study. He then took up the studv of medicine at Rockford. 111..' and later orad- 
uated from the Rush Medical College, Chicago. Februarv 16th. 1859. He "com- 
menced the practice of medicine at Cherry A'alley. seven miles east of Rockford. 

30 




G. \V. COREY, M.D. 



466 BIOGRAPHICAL 

where, on March 25th, 1861, he married Miss Margaret Ann Brantingham, a 
daughter of Robert M. Brantingham, a wealthy capitahst and man-of-affairs of 
New York City. Dr. Corey was an aggressive and wide-awake republican and 
was chairman of the township republican committee, a member of Winnebago 
county central committee and captain of the local Wide-Awakes, the political 
club of the first Lincoln campaign. He rendered valued service to the party, 
making stump speeches throughout his section of the country. 

October 22, 1861, he volunteered as a private in the Federal army and was 
mustered into the 12th Illinois Cavalry. Soon thereafter he was appointed 
acting assistant surgeon and later made surgeon of the 12th Missouri Cavalry. 
After Lee's surrender and the close of the Civil War he was detailed to fight 
the Indians on the western plains of Nebraska, and passed through a most 
strenuous and exciting campaign. He served in the army about four and one- 
half years. As a surgeon he held the rank of major, and, by an act of congress 
of August 1st, 1865, he was, for meritorious services as an officer, brevetted 
lieutenant-colonel. 

At the close of his military career he went to Rockford and settled up the 
large estate of his father-in-law, who meantime had died. In 1866 he located 
in Cheyenne City, Wyoming, where he practiced medicine successfully for about 
twenty-one years. There in 1876, his wife died and for several years he trav- 
eled in various sections of this country. In 1893 he came to California and 
spent six years in Sacramento. In 1899 he came to Sawtelle, where he is prac- 
ticing his profession. 

Dr. Corey is a member of the Volunteers Retired List Association, an 
organization composed of about six thousand retired army officers. It will be 
seen that he has led a most active, eventful and useful life. He is a man of 
broad information, quiet demeanor and is eminently successful in his profession. 



John L. Smith, well-known druggist and pharmaceutist of Sawtelle, is a 
native of Michigan and was born in the city of Saginaw, March 14, 1887. He 
is a son of George H. Smith, now of Sawtelle. He passed through the excellent 
graded schools of Saginaw and came with his parents to California in 1901. 
He spent two years in the Santa Monica High School. Later he took a course 
of study at the University of Southern California and graduated from the de- 
partment of pharmacy in the year 1907. In 1908 he assumed management of 
the business of the Laing Drug Company of Sawtelle, which owns the leading 
drug store of that city. Mr. Smith is a member of the F. and A. M. and also 
a member of the Commercial Club, a social organization made up of the leading 
business and professional men of Sawtelle. Of these Mr. Smith is deservedly 
one of the most popular. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 4^7 

1S7ft"';^' fTZ}', " "''"™ °' "'''°""' t""™ ^' Independence, July 14th 
876. H,s father, M.lton L. Huston, was born in the same town whe e he grew 
up and beeame a contracting builder. He was a pioneer of Kansas clty in hk 
me of work. He came to California in 1888 and located in Los Angel s'^ whet 
he now hves H^E. Huston, when a boy of ten years, commenced woA in I 
meat market on Washington Street. Los Angeles, for Ryder & Taylor and m 
1898 commenced busmess on his own account. In 1904 he came to sLta Monica 
Z%ZZ '"\P'-!- "-"«' -hich promptly grew into a profitable bu^.ness 
In 906 he purchased a busmess lot on Third Street and erected thereon an archi 
ectural and substantial brick building twenty-five feet front by ninety fee 
wo stones ,n hetght, on the ground floor of which is the new Pioneer Mark!' 

occTofed aTh s™ T""'"'' '"^'"""^ ' ^°'^ ^'°^^^^ P^*' ^he second floor s 

occupied as his residence. 

AnJes fr'rf """'"' '" """■ '"" ''°'"' ''''"^•^*" °f ^'^i" F-y. Esq., of Los 

head of' the t r "'""'l'' "'"^ ^''''' °'''"''' '^"°™<=>' "' ^ern County and 
head of he kern County bar. Mr. and Mrs. Huston have one son, Alvin 
Mrs. Huston ,s a nat.ve daughter, having been born at Kernville, Kern County' 
January 14th, 1880. v^uunty, 



the sllte'of M-^'h-^''™"!,' "^"-'^■™™" ""«" oi Santa Monica, is a native of 
the state of Michigan and was born in the town of Marshall, Calhoun countv 
September 20th, 1869, His father, Porter Snyder, was one of the ""n ! s of' 
Calhoun county and located at the then new town of Marshall, on tinLred land 
which he improved, and also engaged in the building business. He was an 

clZ'"'"' "f ";'""'"' """ °' ^«^'"' '"^ -"«' f- - '™- - sheriff of 
w o rthT • ' "'' ' '°" °' '^"°^»^ *■ S".«l". - native of Holland, 

who „ th his parents came to America and settled in New Jersev, and soon 

thereafter removed to New York and located on wild land in Sen ca count, 
During the war of 1812 with England, he served as a scout. I, may be sa d 

that he was a soldier of fortune since he was three times captured bv the Indians 

and once barely escaped burning at the stake. After the war he returned tome 

where he lived until his death at ninetv-four vears of a-e 

one .tau^lte^"T'' '%\r""'' '^''^S^' '° Sarah J. £ddy, had three sons and 
one <au,ghter. Two of these sons, George D. and William P., the subject of 

a" William'? T"7 "''"'" 1 '""^ ''°"'^" '^'^^ ^''™' "'-' vears of 
a e Wilham P^ Sn.vder wen, to Jackson, I\Iieh., and served an apprenticeship at 
1 a nt,ug. i„ p bruary, 1850, he came to California an<I located in San Be - 
ardmo where he served the Santa Fe Railway Company as foreman of paint- 
g ,n the bridge and budding department, having charge of all work on the 
Imes between Barstow and San Diego. In 189,S he resigned his position and 

.ocate ,„ Santa Monica and engage in the business -luring the earliest <lavs of 



468 BIOGRAPHICAL 

its phenomenal growth. He took an active part in the building and civic devel- 
opment of the embryo city. In the year 1901 he executed contracts in his line 
on aliout one hundred and twenty-five cottages, employing a small army of men. 
In 1904 he retired from the business and has since then held a responsible 
])()sition with the mercantile house of Devore & Pettis, Santa Monica. In 1892 
he married Miss Helen M. Schoch of Marshall, Mich., and a native of Iowa. 
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have four children, Catharine, Paul, Philip and Zada. Mr. 
Snyder in 1908 was appointed a member of the Santa Monica City Board of 
Education, vice A. B. Clapp, resigned, and is a most efficient and affable officer. 



Legrand G. Ingersoll, born in Elmira, N. Y., June 9th, 1845. son of Piatt 
Carl Ingersoll, a graduate of Yale College and a native of Stanford, Conn., later 
sttidied medicine at Stanford ; became one of the principal owners of the Grafen- 
burg Medicine Company. He was gifted with mechanical genius and later 
turned his attention to mechanical pursuits. 

He met and married Miss Betsy Mariah Miller, a daughter of Abraham 
Miller, a successful grain farmer and distiller of spirituous liquors of South 
Port, Chemung county, New York, where she was born. The circumstances 
of his marriage proved to change, somewhat, the course of his life, and he settled 
down at Elmira and engaged in the milling business, an occupation more nearly 
in harmony with his tastes and natural bend of mind. He owned a steam saw- 
mill, and incidentally became interested in a drvgoods, likewise a drug store, at 
Wellsburg, a near-by town. About the year 185.T he invented and patented 
Ingersoll's cotton press, which he manufactured on a large scale at Brooklyn, 
N. Y. They came into popular use throughout the cotton-producing states and 
were, in essential respects, the most perfect machines of the kind of their day. 

He made several other mechanical inventions which proved practical, nota- 
bly a coffee hulling machine, which he manufactured in large quantities at 
Green's Point, Long Island. He was a son of Alexander Ingersoll, wdio was 
a farmer and lived near Greenwich, Fairfield county. Conn. Besides Piatt C, 
Alexander Ingersoll had a son, Simon Ingersoll, who was the inventer of Inger- 
soll's rock drill, which effectually revolutionized the business of rock drilling, 
quarrying, quartz mining, etc., and is in general use for such purposes all over 
the world. After a busy and successful life, Piatt C. Ingersoll died at his home 
in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1870, at about sixty-three years of age and his remains 
were interred in Greenwood cemetery. 

Legrand G. Ingersoll is the only living of three sons of Piatt C. Ingersoll. 
There is one daughter living, Georgiana, Mrs. Geo. H. Hughes, of Brooklyn, 
N. Y. His boyhood and youth were spent at Wellsburg and in Brooklyn, in 
which latter city he learned the mechanic's trade and worked in his father's 
factories. He attended the ])ublic schools of Brooklyn and ])ursued a special 



BIOGRAPHICAL ^^^ 



For a t,me Mr. Ingersoll traveled and was identified with t e' • 

commeneed the develonmetn on a ar! ' TT "'"'''"'■ ^" "'^ J'^" '^O '- 
.n the cit.v of Detroit'Si^ „ Sh^'c: H™ tr""'"?'"^^^"" ^'"^^'-'- 
•ion operating the san,e for a'tinre at a >,alZ p fi "h ZTtr T"'" 
and to Los Angeles somewhat broken in health, in 19^, LlZl.f,T7 
roller coaster at Ocean Pari- wl.,vi. ., , ^^ ^^^ '^"'^^ the 

that citv. This he onerare^l 'f" •' °'""y' '''"'™ "" am'-ement feature of 

pursuits. He V otl'paH- Mr"l '^'^r'""' '™'" ^^''^^ '^-■-- 

January 3rd 1898 Miss Flennn , ,' "^""'°" "'^"'«' '"'^ ^ second time, 

bus, Ohio, anc a r^h^ad offi il^ t'thTf ^°'" '"'" ^ ""'^^ "' ^°'"- 
children, of whom four are H:„Ael::ri;XT '^VT ^^^^" 
Audley and Louis of Spokane Washin=rton Tl ^''^'denck of P.ttsburg, 

ment enterprises origi.ra,,,. inaul:: n:\,r f^th^ ri:''"' 'u-^?™'^^- 
career has been one of large and^uccessftd L ie m nts Bes ITtt ?r'""" 
bnsmess enterprises that Mr. Ingersoll has hnilt ,,„ ^ , extensive 

several successful inventions. He i " nt tl V.ft "ot ""• T ""' '" '"''' 
ever eame into practical and popular use and fo ,e T'^ ^"^ '™""™ ""' 
them on a larw scale ,„ ri„v '"""', ™'^ f°f several years manufactured 

proved a phe:™:,e,:a?s ces "&°e is ^ntr^r^"'? ^ ^'^ '""'^ '^^'" "'^i'^'' 
pendent thought and action. ' Tl" e eha c" r s ic^ h T ''"T'"''"' '""' '"^- 

an men of stei.i.;; w^tr^ u::^:hL::-:— L^^^^^^^^^^ 
is a t:;ve':rHe:d::t"\r c^ty^-L^"^^^^^^^^ 

His father Taroh V Mo ^"^nty seat of Henderson County, Kentucky 

A. Meye^i' i'n llr;k7L%lrfr:f .'s^.T, "'^ -"'^^-'^-' «-^e 
which business he acquired from h^ ather who 1 "'" "1 '"P"* »"""^"""^' 
army during the Revolutionary War Ta™? P M ' '™' f". *"« continental 
whose ancestors were patriots of the R , * !' """"'' ^"'^J' B°"d. 

family of George WasC on °Vh , J ,'™"^ ^'^^'^ ^""^ ^^=°"^'- °f the 
age,slv,vedby%hTh:sba;Tandt:rtdd:m™"^'^ " ^'^°" '°"-^ -^"^ °f 



470 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Mr. Mayer received his education in a private school and later graduated 
from the Henderson Public High School, and subsequently pursued a special 
course of study at the University of Chicago. He then entered the employ 
of the well known hardware house of Hibbard, Spencer & Company, Chicago. 
He worked in all departments of the business and finally became traveling sales- 
man, covering the field in Oregon and Washington. He later resigned his posi- 
tion and located in Los Angeles, entered business on his own account, and did 
a successful business at 537 South Broadway. In February, 1905, Mr. Mayer 
disposed of this business, removed to Venice and has since been identified with 
the commercial and civic growth of that city. 

At the city election of 1908, Mr. Mayer was elected a member of the Board 
of Trustees of Ocean Park, and is a member of the Committee on Public Works, 
Fire and Police, Lighting and the Legal committee. He is secretary and treas- 
urer of the Venice Shoe Mfg. Co., and one of the founders of this enterprise 
which is the first of its kind on the southern coast. 

Mr. Mayer married, at Henderson, Kentucky, Miss Sarah Bradshaw, a mem- 
ber of an old Kentucky family, and they have one child, a daughter, Sarah Louise. 



Edward V. Dales, senior member of the grocery house of Dales Brothers, 
Santa Monica, is a native of Illinois. He was born in the town of Middlepoint, 
White County, September 10th, 1877, a son of Charles S. Dales. The family 
came to Southern California and located at Santa Monica in 1886 when young 
Edward was but nine years of age. His youth was spent, therefore, in Santa 
Monica where he passed through the graded schools and finished in the Santa 
Monica High School as a graduate of the class of 1895. He then worked for 
Lang & Middlekauff, hardware merchants, as salesman for two years. In 1898 
he embarked in the grocery business under the firm name of Gray & Dales, on 
Third Street. In 1899 he purchased his partner's interest and conducted the 
business alone until 1902, when his brother John became interested and the 
present firm of Dales Brothers was organized. Besides their store on Third 
Street, Santa Monica, Dales Brothers operated a store for two years on Pier 
Avenue and Ocean Front, Ocean Park, but in 1906 the two stores were merged 
at Santa Monica. 

Mr. Dales mairied Miss Florence Wright, of Santa Monica, February 20th, 
1900. She is a daughter of Mr. P. B. Wright, now of Imperial, California. They 
have two sons, Verner and Lowell. Mr. Dales is a prominent Mason, having 
twice served as Master of Santa Monica Lodge, F. and A. M. He is also a member 
of the B. P. O. E., of Santa Monica. He was elected a member of the first city 
Board of Education under the Freeholders Charter and is now doing important 
committee work. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 471 

Walter E. Devore, leading merchant and influential citizen of Ocean Park, 
in Santa Monica, is a native of Clay City, 111., and was born January 15th, 1856. 
His father, Jerre Devore, was a well to do farmer. Mr. Devore lived on the farm 
until about twenty-five years of age, then went to Springfield, Mo., where, for 
five years, he held a position as salesman in a furniture store, and acquired a 
thorough knowledge of the business. From Springfield, he went to Denver, 
Colo., where he remained seven years and was manager for the firm of Lunt & 
Company, Furniture. In 1896 he became a resident of Santa Monica and held 
responsible positions with the meicantile house of G. Knesel and later with the 
old house of Jackson Brothers. In 1902 he associated himself with Chauncey 
B. Petis, under the firm name of Devore & Petis, and opened a store on Main 
Street In 1904 they moved to their present quarters on Pier Avenue, in Ocean 
Park, Santa Monica, and they have built up an extensive business in furniture, 
hardware and general household equipment, having the most complete stock 
in their line in this section of the state, outside of Los Angeles. In 1908 the 
furniture stock was segregated from the hardware stock, materially enlarged, 
and installed in spacious double store quarters opposite the original stoie on Pier 
Avenue. 

Mr. Devore married in his native town, Miss Ivan Nicholson. She was 
born, reared and educated in Clay County, 111., where they were youthful friends. 
Mr. and Mrs. Devore have one child, a daughter, Burnsie E., born in Denver, 
Colorado. Mr. Devore has for five years been a member of the Santa Monica 
City Board of Education, is now first president of the Board under the Free- 
holders Charter and makes a most efficient presiding officer. He is counted among 
Santa Monica's most substantial citizens. 



August M. Guidinger, for a quarter of a century a resident of California 
and widely known in Los Angeles county, is a native of Manitowock. Wisconsin, 
and was born July 31st, 1863. His father, John B. Guidinger, was a native of 
Germany. Mr. Guidinger was nineteen years of age when he left home, coming 
to California and almost directly to Los Angeles, where he attended the State 
Normal School. This was in 1883, and the school was in the second year of 
its existence. Mr. Guidinger completed a thorough course of study and grad- 
uated in the class of 1886. He then went to Santa Paula and was principal of 
the Santa Paula high school from 1887 to 1890. He then returned to Los An- 
geles and with Howry t&; Peck gained a thorough knowledge of the undertaking 
business. In 1894, he opened this business for himself in Santa Monica and con- 
tinued for about thirteen years. He meantime served the city of Santa Monica 
about ten years as magistrate, a portion of this time as police judge and other- 
wise as justice of the peace. 

In 1906 he erected the splendid Guidinger building at 1334 Third street. 



472 



KX^RAI'HICAL 



which is (lesi!4iic(l csj^ecially for the undertakiiii;- husiness, being- fitted with all 
motlern conveniences. It is of the mission style of architecture and the most 
artistic building- in the city. Mr. Guidinger in 1907 disposed of the business to 
I'rezee Brothers & Todd, retaining^ ownership, however, of the building. He 
has valuable real estate holdings in Hollywood, which is at present his home. 
He also has business interests in Sawtelle. Mr. Guidinger married at Santa 
Paula, Miss Emma F. Hall, a daughter of R. R. Hall, deceased. They have 
one son, Theodore, born in Santa Monica, August 1st. 1905. 



William R. Chapmax, retired citizen of Sawtelle, one of the early settlers 
of the town, is a native of Erie County, New- York, and was born in the city of 

Buffalo in 1841. His father, James 
Chapman, w'as a merchant in Buffalo 
and in 1850 came west via the Great 
Lakes on the steamboat Mayilowcr 
to Racine, Wisconsin, where he pur- 
chased land and engaged in farming. 
He died there in 1856 leaving a 
widow and four children. Young 
William R., while yet a mere lad, 
secured employment on the steamers 
plying on Lake Michigan and be- 
came a cook. Later he apprenticed 
himself to learn ship carpentry in 
Chicago. The Civil War broke out 
and because of his irresistible love of 
adventure he left his work and in 
May, 1860, enlisted in the U. S. Reg- 
ular Army and was mustered into 
Company G., First U. S. Dragoons, 
which was the U. S. First Cavalry, 
at Carlisle, Pa. He served in the 
Dragoons for three years. On July 
1st, 1863, he was transferred to Bat- 
tery A., 3rd U. S. Artillery, in which he served one year. On the 25th of July, 
1864, he was honorably discharged and the same day re-enlisted for three years 
in response to the call of President Lincoln for 300,000 more men. He served 
the full term of his enlistment and was discharged from the service in July, 
1867, having served his country continuously for over seven years. 

About this time Mr. Chapman married Miss Mariah Wheaton, at Chelsea, 
Mass., and located in Washington County, Illinois. In 1878 he came west to 




WILLIAM R. CHAPMAN. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 

4/3 

Colorado and mined gold at Central City, Gunnison and Rln.t u , 

he started for Californ.a. driving a teanf from D nver o protn^'^A '" ''" 

fron. hat pomt came by ra.l to Santa Moniea and ent red the Sold ""» "" 

r:'^r:ira:;^°^^„:^■ltTer '""T' -"-"-""-^ 

^..A.andaShepherd,ofL.e,t^-^ 

A. K Hancock, of Santa Monica, Californ.a is a nativ. f „ 
Tennessee, he havmg been born in that city on the ^6 h dav c p K ''""''"• 
where he contmued to reside until he removed u-iH . / '^^'^™ary, 1853, 

His father. Captain A S Hancock Z ' 1 '"^^'""■'y '" Santa iVIonica. 

of Memphis, having come'tx,' uZ^^TnTsTTt' """''" "'""^^^'^ ™-^hants 
operated a Ime of steamboats t:w;enMrp; 3' nfw^^^ ^ '"" 7^^' »<1 
history includes many names of distinguished mn both soM !^ "" '^^''^ 

Albert K. Hancock received his educationTn t h ' ''"'' ^'^"^^men. 

city finishing at.Saulsbury Cone :,tr:rrTerer-^^^^^^^^^ 
the leading educational institutions of Tennessee-after h' , , ™' °"" "^ 

s.vely in cotton planting, cultivating larce tr ? r f , '''' ™K^«^<^ ^'"''n- 

In .875 he married Mi s Connie nX 1 ^^ '' '""""'PP' ^^"^y- 

W. Duke, a distinguished lawyerTnd fudge of H^^K^'"^^ °' J"^«^ «-^g' 
County, Arkansas and who Z lo a 1 ^°"' '" Crittenden 

received her education at War^^Sem n r "ft^^l^nie^T"'"' ''\ "^"^"^'^ 
Seminary for young ladies in the state "Nashville, Tennessee, the leading 

'" '882 Mr. Hancock commenced the practice of l.„. • u- 
state and soon took position amon., the „ P™"'« °f law m his native city and 

he having in a shortLgaird an 'liable "":"'"' '"™''^" °' "'■' P™'--- 
actions and in the defense orcrfmTnalcIses "" " '^ ^ P™^^^"'°^ '" ^'-"^g^ 

whil *::o r™V:r,::r J-t^X^- i- -- distnc. m f ,03 and, ' 
at ..frCrSpq :L':1- "^h-^ --JP -: --ess a.airs 

in «:; — r^^iTetc ^ f-- - r - '^ -S^trai: 

home, and has established lis office in Ls l^f'"^ California his permanent 
lucrative and satisfactory law practice ° '" ''' '' ™J°-""2 ^ ^'"v 

A. l" dom'a"::ire"d^:a~*a.;rt"ft:tf M ""■ 'T" "'^ '''"' °' ^^^l ,ames 
a tobacco merchant of Ne v Olean! La T' "'"' '"'' "' ■'°''" D- Jordan, 

urieans. La., and a young son and daughter, Hadys 



474 BIOGRAPHICAL 

and Corinne, aged respectively 12 and 10 years, all of whom reside in Santa Monica 
except Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, who are expected to join their mother and father 
within the near future and become permanent residents of beautiful Santa 
Monica by the Sea. 

Mrs. George Sibley is one of the essential factors in the business, social 
and civic life of Venice, a woman of exceptional abilities and charming per- 
sonality. She is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where she was born August 28th, 
1858, a daughter of Alfred and Laura (Foot) Bright, both natives of the same 
state. Her father died when a comparatively young man. Mrs. Sibley spent 
her girlhood in Cleveland and, at eighteen years of age, married Mr. Henry 
W. Taft, an own cousin of Hon. William H. Taft, ex-Secretary of War and,- 
at the present time (September, 1908), republican candidate for the Presidency. 
Mr. Taft died in 1882 and the widow, with an only daughter, Irene, lived in 
retirement in Cleveland for a period of about ten years. In 1891 she came 
to California and located at Los Angeles. December 25th of the same year 
she married Mr. George Sibley, then a wholesale merchant of Los Angeles. 
In Mav, 1900, Mrs. Sibley came to the coast in quest of better health. After 
a season of relaxation and rest, she caught the spirit of enterprise and business 
promise that marked the founding and spontaneous growth of the embryo city 
of Ocean Park as a seaside resort, and in her characteristically quiet way com- 
menced the sale of real estate. Her practical restoration to health and her great 
faith in the future of the new town made her one of the most effective advo- 
cates of and successful promoters on the beach and she soon laid the foundation 
for the extensive business interests she today controls. In 1901 she opened' 
offices on Pier avenue and there continued in business until 1905. Meantime 
she incorporated the Guarantee Realty Company and has continuously held the 
office of president thereof. They purchased property in the then new city of 
Venice of x-Xmerica, at the northeast corner of Windward avenue and Trolley- 
way and there erected the Guarantee building, one of the most substantial busi- 
ness blocks in the now famous city. In 1906 the business was removed thereto. 

Mrs. Sibley is always found ready to forward any movement for the bet- 
terment of Venice. She is an active worker in the Venice Chamber of Com- 
merce, she is president of the Pick and Shovel Club, an aggressive civic organ- 
ization that has done much for the civic and social growth of the city. She 
was one of the organizers of the Ocean Park Country Club and first president 
of the Ladies' Auxiliary. 

By her former marriage Mrs. Sibley has one daughter, Mrs. Irene Taft 
Loring, wife of Howard S. Loring of Venice, and by her present marriage, she 
has one daughter, Louella Marie Sibley. The family home in Walgrove is 
one of the most spacious and substantial of that pretty Venice suburb. Mrs. 
Sibley, by reason of her inherent honesty and business acumen, has accumulated" 
a comfortable fortune and is accorded a high place in the commercial world. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 475 

Adolf Vache is a California pioneer of 1855. He is a native of France 
born near La Rochelle in 1835. His father and grandfather were bakers by trade 
and pursued the business as a life occupation. His father was also a vineyardist 
and wme maker, and Adolf acquired a thorough knowledge of both trades 
He became an expert bread maker. He was nineteen years of age when he came 
to San Francisco. He there followed his trade as baker, went to San luan 
m then Monterey, now San Benito County, and for eighteen years conducted a 
bakery and meat market. The building of the Southern Pacific Ry through 
San Bemto County opened up the new city of Hollister and business at San luan 
declined, when Mr. Vache went to San Bernardino and joined his brother E 
Vache, m grape culture, at Brookside, near che present city of Redlands Later 
Mr. Vache raised grapes on an extensive scale on leased land of the Barton Ranch 
at old San Bernardino. In 1887 he came to Santa Monica and purchased two 
lots at the corner of Oregon Avenue and Fourth Street, where he built a dwellino- 
and bakery and conducted business for many years. His bread became famous 
for Its excellent quality and his patronage extended to Los Angeles and surround- 
mg towns. Some people who spent the summer season at Santa Monica or- 
dered their bread from him after their return home. 

Mr. Vache married in 1875, Miss Francisca Pellissier, in Watsonville Cali 
fornia. She died in this city in 1891 leaving a family of seven children, namely 
Emily Mrs. Jesse Yokum, of Arizona ; Adolf, of San Jose ; Joseph, of Santa Monica ■ 
Zoe, who IS Mrs. Joseph Hall, of Los Angeles; Marcelina, Mrs. M. Biene of Brook- 
side, California; Miss Madaline, single, and Ernest, in Arizona. 

Mr. Vache is one of Santa Monica's most reliable and respected pioneers 
He has retired from business. 



James H. Grigsby was born in McDonough Countv, 111., January 7th 1851 
where he lived until he moved to California. His father, William Grimsby' 
settled m McDonough County. 111., in 1829 and accumulated over four thou^sand 
acres of land m the county which is worth today $200 per acre. Father and son 
were engaged m the general merchandise and milling business for a number of 
years, when they started the Grigsby Bank. May 1st. 1882 and continued in the 
business until 1900, when William Grigsby turned his interest over to Jame<^ H 
Grigsby and he conducted the business until July 22nd, 1907. when he sold the 
Bank to the Huston Banking Company. William Grigsby died July 25th 1907 
James H. Grigsby and family moved to California, November 19th, 1907 and 
settled m Santa Monica where he is again engaged in the banking business as 
president of the Merchants National Bank. 

He was also engaged in the horse importing business for a number of years 
with J. C. Huston and also in the Canadian land business with his son E Gric^sbv 
for three vears. ' ^^ - • 



476 BIOGRAPHICAL 

William Wallace Woodrl'Fi", retired, of Santa iMonica, is a native of 
Flnteville. in the town of Litchfield. Conn., and was born May 20th, 1844. His 
father, Isaac Vk WoodrutT, descended from the earhest colonists of that name 
in Connecticut, and became a successful manufacturer of fifes at Fifeville. 
Later he. with W. L. Gilbert, founded the W. L. Gilbert Clock Company at 
Winstead. Litchfield county. Conn., which is one of the most extensive institu- 
tions of its kind on the western continent. He was, for fifty years, until the 
time of his death, a moving spirit in the development of the business. Mr. 
WoodruiT grew up at Winstead and. at eighteen years of age, entered the Fed- 
eral armv. was soon detailed as a musician and served as a fifer in Company G, 
Nineteenth Connecticut Infantry. He served from 1862 to September 15th. 
1865, during which time he played a solid silver instrument, the production of 
his father's factory at Fifeville. Upon the close of the war he returned home, 
entered the employ of the Gilbert Clock Company and became thoroughly familiar 
with all the intricacies of clock making, developing an instinctive mechanical 
genius that became invaluable to him in his business. By reason of impaired 
health, he came to California in 1903 and is one of Santa Monica's esteemed 
citizens. He is a member of the G. A. R. and one of the founders of the 
Stephen lackson Post of Santa Monica. Mr. Woodruff is prolific in vivid 
reminiscences of the Civil War and plays with as much life and relish the pop- 
ular airs and war songs as when a lad leading the boys in blue to battle, nearly 
half a century ago. 

Mr. Woodruff married at Litchfield. Conn., in 1887, Miss Eleanor Loraine 
Smith who. during their five years' residence in Santa Monica, has gained many 
steadfast friends. 



J. S. Hunt. M. D., Santa Monica, is a native of Newark, Licking County, 
Ohio, born June 7th, 1865. He is the son of John Bingham Hunt, M. D., and 
Angeline (Patterson) Hunt. Dr. John B. Hunt was a successful physician 
and, for many years, practiced medicine at Newark and Columbus, Ohio, and 
later at Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. J. S. Hunt spent his boyhood and youth in 
the two latter named cities, receiving his schooling at the Ohio Weslyan Uni- 
versity and later pursued a course of study at Pulte Medical College, Cincinnati, 
from which institution he graduated in 1891. He commenced practicing his 
profession at Athens, Ohio, and there remained until he came to California, 
locating in Santa Monica in the year 1900. In this city he has built uj) an ex- 
tensive practice. Dr. Hunt married, June 11th, 1890, Miss Adelaide Junipher, 
a daughter of Mr. A. A. Junipher, a successful farmer of Greendale, Hocking 
County, Ohio. Dr. and Mrs. Hunt have one daughter, Henrietta. They are 
members of the Presbyterian church. Dr. Hunt has extensive realty interests 
n Santa Monica and Venice and is one of the promotors of and a stockholder in 
the Santa .Monica Bay Hospital and is treasurer of that institution. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



477 



Stephen Carpenter, for nearly half a century a citizen of California, and 
more than a quarter century resident of Santa Monica, is a native of Vermont. 
He was born in the town of High- 
gate, Franklin county, IMarch 29th, 
1834. His father, Loren C. Carpen- 
ter, was a native of the town of Barre, 
Washington county, and was by oc- 
cupation a millwright, owning a foun- 
dry and machine shop at Highgate. 
He was a man of affairs and was a 
soldier of the War of 1812. He mar- 
ried Caroline Fisk, a daughter of 
Stephen Fisk, who served in the Rev- 
olutionary War, entering the army, a 
youth of seventeen, as a drummer and 
serving until the war closed. He 
then repaired to the timbered forests 
of \>rmont. w-here he cleared up a 
farm and lived during the remainder 
of his life. Air. Carpenter, when a 
small boy of four years, suffered the 
loss of his mother by death, which 
event broke up the home. He was 
taken in charge by an aunt at Bethel, 
w^ith whom he lived for about five 
years. He lived with other relatives 

until he was seventeen, when he learned the millwright's trade of his father. 
Later, for seven years, he followed his trade in Fillmore county, Alinnesota. In 
1863 he came to California via the Isthmus of Panama. He proceeded to the 
then new development of the mines of the Comstock lode and w^orked at his 
trade and timbering shafts as a superintendent for several years. He came to 
Santa Monica in 1875 and returned north. In 1882 he practically retired from 
active business pursuits. For nineteen years his home stood on the property 
now occupied by the Santa Monica City Hall. He served nine years as a mem- 
ber of the Santa Monica City School Board and was for several vears its chair- 
man. Mr. Carpenter married in 1862 in Minnesota, Miss Madaline Webb, a 
daughter of H. H. Webb (deceased) and sister of H. H. Webb, a well-known 
business man and pioneer of Santa Monica. Mrs. Carpenter died in Santa ]\Ion- 
ica October 3rd. 1904, leaving one daughter. Laura E., wife of Albert D. Hawes 
of Santa Monica. Theirs was the first wedding ceremony performed in Santa 
Monica. By a former marriage Mrs. Hawes has one son, Stephen T. Garey. 
of Santa Monica, who, September 8th, 1906, married Miss Alvira Harrison of 
Santa Monica. 




STEPHEN CARPENTER. 



478 BIOGRAPHICAL 

J. LiNDT, for many years a resident of Santa Monica, was born in the southern 
part of Germany, on the Rhine, February 8th, 1840. His father, Peter Lindt, was 
an art wood worker and glazier. He worked out designs and made cathedral 
windows, doors, etc. Young Lindt served an apprenticeship, passed three 
examinations in different departments of the work, adding the art of painting 
and decorating. He travelled for about two years in the Valley of the Rhine 
in pursuit of his trade. In 1859 he came to America, landing in New York 
and there follo^^ed his trade for about thirty years. In 1890 he came to California 
and in 1902 he located in Santa Monica. He has executed some of the best 
work in his line on the coast and has done the interior decorating of many of 
the best residences in this section of the state. 

Mr. Lindt married Miss Mary Granger, of Baden, Germany, in 1884, and 
they have four children — Frances, Annie, Emma and Christina. They are mem- 
bers of the Catholic church. Mi. Lindt is a thrifty and energetic man of means 
and owns a comfortable home near Twentieth Street and Oregon Avenue. Santa 
Monica. 



Jose ValEnzuKla, of 1824 Fifth street, Santa Monica, is a member of one 
of the oldest Spanish California families, a native of Los Angeles, and was born 
March 18th, 1851. His father. Ramon Valenzuela, was one of the best-known 
native-born citizens of Los Angeles, and was a son of Jasper and (Maria Y. 
Ygnacio Lopez) Valenzuela. also native Californians. Ramon Valenzuela was 
reared on a cattle ranch in San Diego and November 28th, 1840, married 
Senorita Ascension Serrano of San Gabriel Mission. Her parents, Thomas and 
Nicholaza ( Navarra) Serrano, were both born in, and during their lifetime never 
left the confines of. Los Angeles county. After his marriage Senor Valenzuela 
followed, for years, the occupation of fruit raiser on a small ranch at San Pedro 
and Sixth streets, Los Angeles. This place he sold in 1846, purchasing a tract 
of land at what is now the corner of Seventh and Gladys streets. This land 
becoming too valuable for farming purposes, he subdivided and upon a portion 
thereof built houses to rent. He sold the property in 1889. He died in Los 
Angeles in 1889 at the advanced age of eighty-four years, leaving ten chil- 
dren — Eduardo, who married Francisco Aguirre, now both deceased — Manuela, 
deceased, who married Jose Antonio Machado — Jubencio, Felipe, Mrs. Elario 
Raves, Salbadora, widow of Dolores Ruiz — Jasper — Jose — Crotilda, Mrs. Elario 
Ybarre — Ramond. died 1906 — Ascension and Armulfo. There are forty-two 
grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. 

Jose Valenzuela grew up in the city of Los Angeles, living the free open 
life of the cattle ranges, also being at times employed at various other occupa- 
tions. April 17th, 1871. he married Sarah, daughter of Nathan Pettey, who 
was a well-known pioneer of California. He crosed the plains, mountains and 
rivers for California in 1849, coming from South Carolina and locating in Mar- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 479 

iposa county, where he became well known and prominent in political affairs. 
He served as sheriff at Mariposa county nine years and was a conspicuous figure 
in the pursuit of the famous bandit, Joaquin Murietta, and during his public 
services was known as a terror to evil-doers. He married Elizabeth Holland, 
also of southern birth and parentage. Her grandfather and great-grandfather 
were Revolutionary soldiers and lost their lives in the cause of American inde- 
pendence. Mrs. Valenzuela and one son, Albert Pettey of Fresno, are the only 
surviving children. 

Mr. and Mrs. Valenzuela located on their present property November 14th, 
1905, where they own a comfortable home, No. 1824 Fifth street, and adjacent 
income property. They have one son, Roy Valenzuela. Mr. Valenzuela is a 
man of independent thought and action. He is, in politics, a democrat, and has 
imiformly voted his party ticket. 



D. G. Holt, editor and owner of the Daily Outlook, Santa Monica, was born 
in the city of Philadelphia, Pa., October 6th, 1861. He lived in the East until 
about six years of age, when he went to make his home with an uncle in Wis- 
consin. Two years later his father, Sidney A. Holt, his mother and two younger 
brothers were lost at sea. Mr. Holt grew up in Wisconsin and was educated 
in the public schools of that state. In 1873 he joined the " rush " to North- 
western Minnesota and Dakota, and there followed newspaper work for several 
years, latterly at Pine City, where he was connected with the Piiic County Pio- 
neer. In the fall of 1886 he left Pine City and started for California, making 
San Francisco his destination. He chose the Canadian Pacific railroad route 
and, after spending a few months in Winnipeg, proceeded westward. The win- 
ter was a severe one and he was snow-bound for a week at Medicine Hat, N. 
W. T. While thus delayed he was engaged to take charge of the local paper, 
the joint property of local merchants, wdiich had suspended publication for about 
three months. Mr. Holt put the paper on a good business footing and con- 
ducted the same for a period of about two years. He then resumed his journey 
v/estward to San Francisco, arriving there in the spring of 1889. In the spring 
of 1890 he founded the Rii'er News at Rio Vista, Solano county, California, and 
conducted the same for five years. In the spring of 1896 he came to Santa 
Monica and assumed charge of the Santa Monica Outlook, then a weekly publi- 
cation. He transformed it into a daily in 1896. and has made it one of the most 
Influential news journals of Southern California. 

Mr. Holt married at Medicine Hat. Canada. Sept. 30. 1891, Miss Laura 
Preston of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Canada, and they have one son, Sidney, born 
at Rio Arista, Solano county, Cal., Sept. 18, 1892. 

Mr. Holt has been prominent in the political life of California and is a loyal 
supporter of the republican party. For many years he held the position of min- 



480 BIOGRAPHICAL 

ute clerk of the California State Senate and was one of the most efficient and 
popular attaches of that body. He has ever evinced a becoming; interest in local 
public afifairs and for six years was a member of the executive committee of the 
Rejiublican County Central Committee. For many years he served the city of 
Santa Monica as a trustee of the public library. He was elected a member of 
the Board of School Trustees in 1897 and served until 1901. Upon the reincor- 
poration of the city under the Freeholders' Charter in 1907, he was elected a 
member of the Board of Education and is now president of the board. 



The California Military Academy, truly a Santa Monica institution 
in the sense that it is located in Santa Monica, is incorporated by Santa Monica 
men and is backed by Santa Monica capital. It was opened in response to the 
urgent demands of a large number of parents who desired to place their boys in 
a genuine military academy, near Los Angeles, differing in several important 
respects from any school then existing in the vicinity of that city. 

The Academy occupies the premises formerly famous as the Arcadia Hotel. 
The institution is organized as a military post under command of the Superin- 
tendent, the members of the Faculty being assigned to perform such military 
duties as circumstances may require. The Corps of Cadets is organized similarly 
to that of the United States Military Academ}^ except that it is organized as a 
cavalry command, and is governed in accordance with military customs. 

This institution possesses unexcelled facilities for ocean bathing on its own 
beach, which is one of the best and safest on the bay. The salt water plunge, 
at Ocean Park, is within easy walking distance. Three regular courses of study, 
each leading to graduation with the Academy Diploma, are open to Cadets, as 
follows : 

I. The Classical Course, fitting for college. 

II. The Scientific Course, fitting for Scientific or Technical Institutions. 

III. The English Course, for boys wdio are not to enter college. Effort 
is made, also, to secure instructors who have had military experience, especially 
as cadets in school or college. 

The school year begins on the Wednesday nearest the 25th of September, 
and ends on the Wednesday nearest the 10th of June. The usual vacations at 
Christmas and Easter are observed, also such legal holidays as may be advisable, 
and it is not in session during the summer but its situation and command of 
facilities for out of door sports and recreation, render it a most enjoyable place in 
which to spend the summer if a boy must be away from home. 



Major E. H. Baker, the Superintendent, a native of Maine, was educated in 
Chicago and New York. His military training was acquired in the National 
Guard and in military schools. He has had twenty-three years experience as 



BIOGRAPHICAL 481 

Commandant and Superintendent of military boarding schools in New England 
the Middle States, the Mississippi Valley and California. He came to Los Angeles 
in the spring of 1905 with the intention of opening a military academy ^similar 
to the best schools in the east. Having thoroughly canvassed the vicinity of 
that city, he selected Santa Monica as offering the most and greatest advantages 
for a boy's boarding school. He secured a lease of the well known Hotel Arcadia 
property for a term and opened the Academy in a military camp September, 
1906. Acting as Superintendent he has conducted the affairs of the institution 
since that date. With the co-operation of Professor Bishop and Mr. Roy Jones, 
he organized the Academy Corporation, which has a fifty years charter and an 
authorized capital stock of two hundred thousand dollars. This insures the 
permanence and high quality of the institution. 

Bartlett R. Bishop was born December 25th, 1879, at Ashland, Hanover 
County, Virginia. He was reared in the States of Missouri and Virginia, entering 
William Jewell College (Liberty, Missouri) in the fall of 1896, at the age of 
sixteen years. He specialized in science, graduating from William Jewell Cotlege, 
June 13th, 1900. He has received the degree of A. B. He has traveled exten- 
sively throughout the United States and in Old Mexico. He has wide acquaint- 
ance throughout the states, particulariy on the Atlantic and Pacific Slopes. For 
some time he occupied the position of solicitor for the Snoqualmie Falls Power 
Company, being one of the four members of the board which established the 
power and light rating of Seattle. He was also statistician for the Hallidie 
Machinery Company of the same city, and was connected with various other 
mercantile establishments He has an extensive experience in the law depart- 
ments and scientific work and has taught for three years in miHtary academies. 
In the fall of 1906 he returned to Los Angeles to co-operate with Major Baker in 
the launching of the California Military Academy. He is now secretary of the 
Board of Directors and Principal (Head of Scholastics) of this institution. 



Richmond W. Ar.mstrong, well known citizen of Santa Monica, is a native 
of New Haven, Conn., and was born July 2 7th, 1848. His father, Lorenzo Aim- 
strong, was senior member of the commercial house of L. W. and P. Arm- 
strong Company, West India importers. Their principal offices were in New 
York City. Mr. Armstrong was a member of this house for about thirty years, 
but retired therefrom and came to California in 1896. He located at Ocean 
Park, Santa Monica in 1900, where he owns a fine residence at 135 Fraser Avenue. 

Mr. Armstrong was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1907 from the 
Second Ward and is one of the hard working members of that efficient body. 
He married in the year 1872, Miss M. C. Mead, a daughter of Rev. A. H. Mead, 
a Methodist clergyman of New York City. They have a son. Dr. M. M. Arm- 
strong, of Los Angeles. Mr. Armstrong is a Royal Arch Mason, Scottish Rites 
and a Knight Templar. 

31 



482 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



Rov G. Putnam, City Clerk and well-known business man of Sawtelle, is 
a native of Berlin, Green Lake county, Wisconsin, where he was born May 27, 

1886, a son of Horace Putnam, a na- 




tive of Massachusetts, and Vera 
(Smith) Putnam, a native of New 
York. Horace Putnam was the in- 
ventor and an extensive manufac- 
turer of what is known as the Snow 
Pack or Snow Shoe, which has be- 
come an indispensable article of 
footwear throughout all snowy coun- 
tries during winter seasons. In 1894 
he practically retired from active 
business pursuits, came to California 
and purchased an orange ranch and 
there lived until his death, which oc- 
curred in February, 1904, the widow 
surviving until the following Decem- 
ber. They had two sons. Horace 
died in 1903, at nineteen years 
of age. Left alone, Mr. Putnam, 
upon the death of the parent, settled 
up the estate and came direct to 
Sawtelle and located, where he has 
dealt in real estate and has become a 
factor in the civic and business development of the city. He is a member of 
the real estate firm of Putnam & Crane. At the city election in 1908, Mr. Put- 
nam was elected City Clerk and is a most competent and popular officer. He 
is a Royal Arch Mason, affiliating with the lodge in Santa Monica. He is also 
Secretary of the Blue Lodge at Sawtelle. He is an active member and Secre- 
tary of the Sawtelle Commercial Club, an organization composed of the leading 
business men of Sawtelle. Mr. Putnam's popularity is due to his unobtrusive 
and pleasing personality, his temperate habits of life and his recognized business 
ability. 




R. G. PUTNAM. 



Luther C. WatkKvs, the Santa Monica Superintendent of the Land and 
Water Company, was born at Rochester, New York, September 18th, 1854. His 
father, Henry Watkeys, was superintendent of motive power for the New York 
Central Railroad Company, holding this office for a period of thirty-three years. 
He was a native of Nova Scotia. The major portion of his life, barring ten 
years from 1885 to 1895 in Indiana, was spent in New York. He was, by pro- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 483 

fession, mechanical engineer and an expert in his line. He had the personal 
confidence of William H. Vanderbilt and was frequently called to consult with 
him upon business matters. Mr. Watkeys had an older brother who was thirty- 
five years an engineer of the N. Y. C. Ry. Company and died without warning 
while on duty in his engine cab. Mr. Watkeys' mother was Miss Zerriah T. 
Colman, a native of Newburyport, Mass., and a daughter of Luther Colman. 
Young Watkeys left home in 1875, at the age of twenty-one years, and became 
a civil engineer. Later he entered the employ of the N. Y. C. Ry. Company 
and for eleven years served as passenger conductor, running between New York 
and Rochester. He came West to Indiana in 1887, and to Kalamazoo, Mich., 
in 1892. In 1895 he came to California and engaged in orange culture at 
Covina. In 1904, he assumed his present position and is known to the citizens 
of Santa Monica as a most competent and popular manager of the important 
interests he represents. 

Mr. Watkeys married in 1892, Miss May Florence Pickard of Kalamazoo, 
Mich., a daughter of J. H. Pickard, a California pioneer of 1849, who spent 
several years in the state as a successful miner, and returned to Kalamazoo, 
Mich., where he died about 1892. 



John B. Procter, Santa Monica, was born September 12th, 1861, and was 
the third son of the Rev. Gilbert Procter of Penny Bridge, near LTlverston, Lan- 
cashire, England, who was vicar of the parish of Egton. Mr. Procter came to 
the LTnited States in the spring of 1883, and located at Larchwood, Lyon county. 
Iowa, where for four years he was a member of the English colony established 
there. Returning to England in 1887, he married the only daughter of Thomas 
M. Machell, Esq., of Newby Bridge, Lancashire, and towards the end of the 
same year he came to California, settling at Santa Monica, where he has resided 
continuously for the last twenty-one years. In 1900 he was elected to the office 
of Citv Clerk and Assessor, for the term of two years, and in 1904 he was again 
appointed City Assessor, continuing in office for two years more, proving an effi- 
cient and popular public servant. Besides being a Mason, he is a Forester of 
America, and a prominent and influential Elk, holding the office of Secretary 
since the organization of the lodge five years ago. For a number of years he 
has acted as Clerk of the Vestry for the Parish of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea. He 
has two sons, James Machell and Gilbert, both " Native Sons." Mr. Procter is 
an enthusiastic sportsman, and was one of the first to introduce the game of polo 
in California. For many years he was engaged in the real estate and insurance 
business, and is now manager of the extensive property interests of Mrs. Arcadia 
B. de Baker at Santa Monica. 



484 P>I()GRAPHICAL 

Oi.i\I':k S. Wi:s'1'()\er, a well-known and hij^lil}- esteemed citizen of Santa 
IVIonica, is a native of Indiana, having been born in Fayette county, near Con- 
nersville, October lltli, 1(S32. He is the son of Hiram Westover, a farmer of 
Holland Dutch descent, his ancestors having come to America before the War 
of the Revolution. There were three brothers who were active participants in 
the war, one, a loyalist, removed to Canada, one located in Xew York and one 
in Virginia. 

Hiram Westover. the father of the subject of our sketch, was born in Cen- 
tral Xew York, on the shores of Cayuga Lake, was a farmer, and married 
Minerva Campbell, a grand-niece of Alexander Campbell, the founder of the 
Camjibellite Church. About 1820 the family came West and located in Fayette 
countv. Ind. Later they removed to the northern part of the state and located 
in Huntington countv. In this cfumty, Hiram Westover donated land and laid 
out a town, naming the place Clayville in honor of Henry Clay, for whom he 
had great admiration. The first brick house in Clayville was his spacious and 
substantial home, which has withstood the ravages of a vigorous climate for 
over fift\- vears and is still in good condition. He raised a family of seven chil- 
dren, of whom Oliver S. is the third. 

The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood on the farm, attended the local 
schools and, at twenty-two years of age, taught the district school at Clayville 
and the adjoining county. In 18.^2. he married Miss Lncinda Lewis, by whom 
he has one daughter. In 18.^'^ Mr. and Mrs. Westover located in LInion county. 
Iowa, near the town of Afton, at that time the county seat. They were among 
the first settlers of that frontier county. The daughter, Cjnthia, wife of John 
Alden of Brooklyn, New York, is known throughout the world as Cinthia West- 
over Alden, the founder and President-General of the International Sunshine 
Societv. She is a woman of brilliant attainment and pleasing personality and is 
devoting her entire time to the work of her organization. 

Mrs. Westover died in 1862. In 1863. he was again married to Miss Isabel 
Cornelius, a daughter of James Cornelius, a Kentuckian, owner of valuable lands 
near Ashland in Fayette county, the heart of the famous " blue-grass region." 
Mrs. Westover's ancestry is in direct line from the famous MacClouds of Scot- 
land, her father's mother having borne that illustrious name. 

At this time Air. Westover held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Township 
Supervisor and Assessor. They lived at Afton about four years and then joined 
the gold rush for Pike's Peak, which resulted in their locating at Denver, Colo., 
then a small frontier mining town. Here Mr. Westover spent four years mining 
and prospecting in Gilpin county. It was during this time that Mrs. Westover 
became interested in mineralogy and geology, gaining a practical and com]:)re- 
hensive knowledge of the same. She interested her husband in these subjects 
and for some years they carried on a business of preparing collections of miner- 
alogical sju'cimens for educational and other i)ublic institutions. The Westover?. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 485 

were proprietors in Denver of a large store, mineral and geological, carrying on 
an extensive business. 

On account of the high altitude, they left Denver in 1887, coming to Los 
Angeles, where, with W. D. Campbell, they engaged in the curio business. They 
also owned a store in Pasadena. In 1893. they came to Santa Monica. They 
have two children. \\'alter R. of Denver, an expert on Indian blankets and bas- 
ketry, and Grace, the wife of John B. Fraser of Sacramento. 



I 



Peter H. SoxnESVN. successful and popular merchant of Sawtelle. was 
born of well-to-do parents near the town of Bergen. Xorwav. in the year 1868. 
He received a good high school education and, at nineteen years of age, left 
his native land and embarked for America. Upon his arrival in the United 
States he went directly to Alankato. Minn. There he clerked in a wholesale 
and retail drygoods store for W. W. P. McConnell for a period of about nine 
years. In 1896 he went to Spokane. Washington, and engaged in tht retail fruit 
business for three years, his place being at the corner of Sprague and Lincoln 
streets. In 1899 he came to California and engaged in the clothing business, 
remaining until 1901. when he came to Sawtelle and opened a drygoods and 
men's furnishing goods store. He did business for about four years on Fourth 
street and in 1906 moved to more spacious quarters on Oregon avenue. Mr. 
Sonnesyn has acquired a wide and favorable acquaintance and has built up a 
profitable business. He married at Spokane. Washington, in 1898. ISIiss Anna 
Sederberg. a young woman of Danish parentage and birth. The Sonnesvn resi- 
dence, the finest in the city of Sawtelle. is at the corner of Third street and 
Indiana avenue. 



Henry Peachev Wieber, D.D.. of Santa Monica, is a native of Ohio and 
was born in the town of Elyria. Lorain county. His father. Francis Augustus 
Wilbur. Ph. D., was born in Vermont, a descendant of Captain Church of King 
Philip's War fame. His grandfather saw service in the Revolutionary War and 
his father was a soldier in the War of 1812. Dr. Wilber's mother. Favelle 
Peachey Wilber. was born in London. England, and came to this countrv in 
childhood. She grew to womanhood in the city of Cincinnati. Ohio, graduated 
from Mrs. Ryland's School for young ladies and became a teacher in the Cin- 
cinnati public schools before her marriage. The Rev. Francis A. Wilber was a 
Presbyterian minister at Elyria. Ohio, for a period of about thirteen years. Later 
he conducted classical academies in Ohio and Indiana. Dr. Wilber was pre- 
pared for college at his father's academy in Wabash. Indiana, and graduated 
from the classical department of Wooster University, Wooster. Ohio, in 1887. 
He studied theology at Princeton and at Union Seminaries. Before coming to 



486 BIOGRAPHICAL 

California he was professor of Latin in Pierre University at Pierre, South Da- 
kota, and subsequently was pastor of Presbyterian Churches at St. Lawrence and 
at Rapid City, South Dakota. In January, 1893, he came to California and was 
pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Fernando from 1893 to 1898. From 1898 
to 1899 he was professor of Latin in Occidental College, Los Angeles. In the 
year 1900 he assumed the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church at Santa 
Monica, which he relinquished in 1907. Dr. Wilber received the honorary degree 
of D.D. from his Alma Mater, the Universitv of Wooster, Ohio. 



Col. James A. Loudon. Santa Monica by the sea, with its superb scenic sit- 
uation and surroundings, its delightful climate and splendid public institutions, has 
drawn permanently to its confines many people of culture, refinement and wealth, 
seeking retirement from the strenuous life of a business world. These people 
have purchased its choicest residence property, own its most luxurious homes 
and have become a most important factor in making it one of the wealthiest and 
most attractive seaside home cities of the Pacific Coast. Colonel Loudon is 
one of its recently most welcome citizens. Colonel Loudon is a native of Ten- 
nessee and grew up in the city of Memphis. His paternal ancestors were Scotch 
and are directly descended from Lord Loudon, who was the owner of Loudon's 
Bonn}^ Hills, Woods and Braes, one of the most beautiful feudal estates in the 
lowlands of Scotland. Col. Loudon is a son of John Loudon, father of eleven 
children, all of whom, save three, the subject of this sketch, a brother, Hopkins 
Loudon, and Miss Debbie Loudon, died before the demise of the father. Col. 
Loudon grew up in the city of Memphis amid the busy scenes of a most delightful 
social influence and broad hospitality of southern life. When the calamities of 
civil war overtook his home city he, even though a youth of fifteen years, volun- 
teered in the Confederate army and served with distinction throughout the entire 
conflict, from 1861 to the final ending in 1865, in defense of his country's cause. 
He entered the cavalry service as a private soldier and at times was in the hottest 
of the fray. He was three times captured by the enemy and twice escaped. 
(See " Harvey Mathew's History of the Old Guards in Gray " and also " His- 
torical Biography of Eminent Americans.") Col. Loudon, at the close of the 
war, in 1865, was paroled as a Confederate officer from the military prison at 
Little Rock, Arkansas, and returned to his native state. For many years he has 
been intimately associated with the business, civic and political growth of the 
city of Memphis. Essentially a man of afifairs, his activities have been along 
business lines and his rewards amply the result of successful enterprise. 

Col. Loudon, January 13, 1870, married Miss Virginia Lewis Shanks. She 
died leaving a son, Lewis S. Loudon. September 7, 1904, he married ]\Iiss 
Sarah, daughter of Hon. Albert K. Hancock, then a prominent lawyer of the 
Memphis bar and a member of the Tennessee State Senate, now a resident of 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



487 



Santa Monica and practicnig his profession in Los Ano-eles Mrs T nn 1 • 
lady of charming personality and social refinement T^^ev h/ 7' . '' ' 

Lou Lou Ann, aged three years and Arii " ^^ ^'''° slaughters, 

ac^ed one year Vol T Aihngton. a natiye daughter of California, 

d^,eu one }ear. Lol. Loudon, m January 1906 ^^^■,fU ^ • r ■ ■ 

active business pursuits, came to Ca.i on i', aml'to Lo- a"", T'"'' '™" 
a ho,„e in Ingraham street where the f ^iK H , Y^ ^'^ ! '"" ''"''^'''"' 
months. The^ollowiug Nov .. e , pu r 1 "n ' """"^ °' ^"°"' "»""' 

and there hVed for a time t7 V u ''""'''''f ^ "" "ra"?*^ g™« at San Gabriel 

Gables of he W H P '^'"^ '^"" °^ '*^ '^^ P"'''^'"''"' Grav 

„o- of he W. H. Perry estate on Ocean avenue, Santa Monica which the'v 
regard as the.r permanent family home. Col. Loudon declares to L ' ter th. 
Santa Mon.ca has tn my opinion, the finest clintate on earth - and Lr ho " 
to exceed the age of his lantented mother's father, David Trowbridge who lived 
to the age of one hundred and one years, - ■ and here, where the sut^^t n, I, e 
ocean s blue to gold ' may I be buried, if it is God's will " 



of To . f "'■ "•^"-'^""°"-" ""«" °f Sawtelle, is a native of the state 

nZZl 7' ]","■' *'' .' ^'""^ ''"'' ''"'' '""^■•«'«1 i" "o°'«' n,ills which 
manufactured cashmeres, flannels and other woolen fabrics. He was a native 
of Holland attd came to this country when a child, the famdv locati g Tn 
Tennessee. He ntarried Miss Amanda Langford. who bore Itin, nine children 
of whom Jantes P. ,s the second born. He grew up in Des Moines worled 
a mac n,e shop, .vhere he learned the millwright t'rade in Ccnterville J:'.' 
Jn 18/,S. he came to Cahfornia, reaching San Francisco April 22nd of that vear 

went into' tl"" "°''''' ,'" "" "'""'" '™" "■°'"^-=- P™'" San Francisco he 
went , to the mmes and erected quartz ntills, l,aving a seeming monopolv of 
d,e bustness n, Plumas, Lassen and Sierra counties. He also buil, ntills at 

.. 1904 he came to Southern California and located at Sawtelle. For 



mme. 



^ •• , , . "'" v.c...iwiiiici duu lucatea at sawtelle 

a tmie he engaged m the grocery business, which he finall< <lisposed of He 
has acce_ptabb- filled the office of City Marshal of Sawtelle du'ring !he vears 1906 
and IJO/, He ,s now engaged in the cigar and tobacco business, Mr Keener 

o \,lham E, Taylor, a grandson of General Zachary Tavlor, twelfth President 
m 897 r T f M- ''""" ''"' ••" """''"''"'■ L--" --"v, California, 

county, Cahfornta; V.ola, Mrs, George Odette of Susanville, and Howard „],„ 
.s gunners trtate in the U, S, Navy on the Cruiser Milwaukee. .Mr. Keener 
agam ntarr.ed ,n the year 1900. Miss Ella Moore, at Johnsville, Phnnas countv 
Cahforn.a, The fa.nily residence is Xo, 234 South Seventh street, Sawtelle ' 



488 



r.IOGRAPHICAL 



H. L. MiTciiKLL, for man}- years a well-known citizen of Santa Monica and 
now (1908) holding the office of City Superintendent of Building's, Electrician 

and I'lumhing Inspector, is a native of Hud- 
son, Lenawee county, Michigan, where he was 
horn May 10th, 1871. His father, Eli Mitch- 
ell, was, by trade, a millwright and gunsmith. 
He was a native of New York and one of the 
pioneers of Lenawee countv. In 1875 he lo- 
cated on government land in Custer county, 
Nebraska, when it was a new and compara- 
tivcl}' undeveloped country and civic and so- 
cial conditions very much unsettled. In 1879, 
during the exciting times in that State involv- 
ing differences between homestead settlers and 
stockmen, Mr. Mitchell and a fellow pioneer 
were murdered in cold blood at Plumb Creek, 
Nebraska. The widow and family of eight 
children removed to the eastern part of the 
State and located at Weeping Water, where 
she married Mr. John C. Marvin in 1882. In 
1884 the family removed to San Antonio, 
Texas, where they lived until 1895 and re- 
moved to California, locating at Santa Monica. 
At San Antonio Mr. IMitchell learned the car- 
penter's trade and followed the same as an oc- 
cupation, at times carrying on a contracting business. Soon after arrival in 
Santa Monica in 1895 he married Miss Emily Catharine Loeffler, a native of 
San Antonio, Texas. The year 1897 Mr. Mitchell held the office of Township 
Constable. He served as Deputy City Marshall under M. K. Barretto for a 
period of abotit seven years, from 1898 to 1906. In 1907 he was appointed to 
the position he now holds, one of responsibility which he fills with marked credit 
to himself and entire satisfaction to the people of his city. 




H. L. MITCHELL. 



Henry Schultz, owner and editor of the Scni^'tcllc Sentinel, was born in 
Brownsville. Texas, December 19th, 1872. His father, Gustave Schultz, was 
a native of Hamburg, Germany. He came to America in 1861, and joined the 
Union army as a member of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, under General, then 
Colonel O. H. La Grange. In 1864, he returned to his native home and almost 
immediately joined the French army, where he was commissioned lieutenant- 
colonel and, under Maximilian, took part in the French invasion of Mexico. 

Later he returned to the life of a civilian and kept a hotel at Brownsville, 



BIOGRAPHICAL 489 

Texas. He there met and married Miss Frances Frazer, a native of Dublin, 
Ireland. He lived at Brownsville until his death in 1892. Henry Schultz spent 
his boyhood at Brownsville and later entered the employ of Clark & Cowts. 
lithographers and printers of San Antonio, Texas, as an apprentice. He re- 
mained with this firm for a period of five years and thoroughly mastered the 
trade. In 1899, he came to Los iVngeles and was employed on the Los Angeles 
Herald. Later in the same year he came to Santa Monica and, until 1904, 
he worked as the foreman of the printing office of the Santa Monica Daily 
Outlook. In August, 1904, he purchased the business of the Sawtelle Sen- 
finel of C. B. Irvine, which he has ably conducted, materially improving the pub- 
lication and the plant until it is one of the most complete in equipment in the 
Santa Monica Bay district. March 30th, 1907, Mr. Schultz married Miss Alice 
A., a daughter of the late Arthur Clarence Alger, of Sawtelle. Mr. Alger 
was a highly esteemed citizen of Sawtelle, a native of Afton. Wisconsin, where 
he grew up. He married in Nebraska and engaged in business. By reason 
of failing health he came to California in 1903 from Lincoln, Neb., located in 
Sawtelle and engaged in the furniture business. He was a nephew of the 
lamented General Russel A. Alger, late U. S. Senator from Michigan and Sec- 
retary of War in the Cabinet of President William McKinley. He was a pop- 
ular citizen, a member of the F. and A. M. and the M. W. of A. He died 
August 1st, 1906, leaving a widow and daughter. Mrs. Alger was, by maiden 
name, Mary Woodman, a daughter of Daniel and Mary Woodman of Ohio. 
She was born in Waushara, Wisconsin. She descends from Puritan stock, her 
earliest ancestors having come to America in the Mayflower. Mrs. Schultz is 
a woman of literary accomplishments, and is a constant contributor to the 
Scientific American, writing upon scientific subjects. She is also on the literary 
stafif of the Los Ano-eles Bxaminer. Mr. and Mrs. Schultz have one son, Arthur 
Clarence, born February 14th, 1908. 



H. M. Crane, Sawtelle. was born in Bridgeport, Fairfield county. Conn., 
July 11, 1861. His father, Charles S. Crane, a farmer, and his mother, Imogine 
J. (Morris) Crane, are both natives of the "Nutmeg" state. In 1866 they came 
West to Michigan and located at Marshall, in Calhoun county. Here Mr. Crane 
engaged in the milling and grain business. In 1876 he removed to Caldwell 
county, Missouri, and located near the town of Breckenridge, where he engaged 
in farming. 

The subject of this sketch passed through the public schools of Marshall. 
Michigan, and Breckenridge, Missouri. In 1886, he married Miss Flora, a 
daughter of James J. Nellis, now a well-known citizen of Sawtelle. In 1905 
they came to California, and located at Sawtelle, where, for a time, he engaged 
in banking and held the position of cashier of the Citizens' State Bank. Mr. 



490 BIOGRAPHICAL 

Crane has made liberal pro]XM-ty investments in Sawtelle and, since retiring" from 
the bank, is engaged in the real estate and insurance business as a member of 
the firm of Putnam & Crane. The family home, one of the most attractive in 
the city, is 2015 Oregon avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Crane have two daughters, 
Letha F. and Imogine. 



O. A. KiRKELiE, an active and well-known business man of Ocean Park, 
Santa Monica, was born in the town of Harmony, Fillmore county, S. E. 
Minnesota, April 6th, 1867, a son of Arne Kirkelie, a native of Norwav, a land 
owner, an itinerant Lutheran preacher and a man of influence. Mr. Kirkelie 
grew up in his native town, passed through the public schools, and pursued a 
course of study at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., Decorah Institute, Deco- 
rah, Iowa. In 1888, being then twenty-one years of age, he held the office of 
Deputy County Recorder of his native county. About this time he married Miss 
Levina, a daughter of Joseph Pickett, she being also born and reared in Fillmore 
county and in the town of Harmony. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkelie almost immediately 
came to California on a pleasure trip. Returning home, he engaged in the furni- 
ture and undertaking business at Wykofif, Fillmore countv, Minn., until April, 
1905, when he disposed of his business and came again to California. Mr. Kirke- 
lie is a successful business man and has built up a substantial undertaking busi- 
ness. He is a member of the B. P. O. E., I. O. O. F., D. of R., K. of K. and 
Modern Woodmen. He is an active and effective worker in the Republican 
party. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkelie have one daughter, Mvrtle. 



H. C. HoLivWEDKL, well-known citizen of Santa Monica, is a native of New 
York City, where he was born January 21st, 1875. His father, Carsten Hollwe- 
del, a native of Germany, was a successful contracting builder in New York for 
many years. Mr. Hollwedel grew up in the city, passed through the New York 
public schools taking, also, instruction from a private tutor and latterlv special 
courses in building construction and architecture. He then embarked in busi- 
ness as an architect and took up as a specialty heavy steel construction work. 
During- the fifteen years of active experience, he erected several of the large 
business structures in modern New York, involving a most thorough and technical 
knowledge of the vast detail involved in heavy construction work of a most 
exacting and complicated nature. One of these buildings, which stands as lasting 
evidence of Mr. Hollwedel's skill, is 116 feet by 180 feet, two stories below the 
ground surface and the foundations embedded thirty feet in solid rock, while it 
stands sixteen stories above the street. Another building at the corner of Broad- 
way and 50th street, also one at Broadway and 62nd street, are of similar dimen- 
sions and construction. Mr. Hollwedel also designed and built for wealthy New 



BIOGRAPHICAL 491 

Yorkers country seats on Long Island. Some of the most elegant and expensive 
bronze show windows in New York are of Mr. HoUwedel's design. He further 
had entire charge of and control of all construction work of one of the large and 
wealthy estates in New York City which involved great variety. By reason 
of over-work and ill health, Mr. HoUwedel was compelled to relinquish business. 
He came to California and located at Santa Monica in September, 1906. pur- 
chasing property at Fourth and Washington street, where he has erected one of 
the finest modern residences in the city. He has also made liberal investments 
in other Santa Monica property. 

Mr. Hollwedel has taken an active part in the civic and commercial better- 
ment of Santa Monica. He is a material factor in the successful promotion and 
work of the Santa Monica Board of Trade and is its Vice-President. He is at 
present City Inspector of Construction on the new city ocean pier now in course 
of construction at the foot of Colorado street, which pier is of reinforced concrete 
and the first of its kind on the Pacific Coast. He is a deservedly popular citizen. 



Cyrus L. Edinger, for nearly a quarter century resident of California, and 
a well-known citizen of Sawtelle. is a native of White Haven, Luzerne countv, 
Pa., where he was born January 2, 1874. His father, Aaron Edinger, and his 
mother, Sarah (Granger) Edinger, were born in Luzerne county and were of 
German descent. The family came to California in 1885 and for several years 
lived in Los Angeles. There are seven sons and two daughters. The father 
died in Ocean Park, February, 1908, at the age of fifty-nine years. The widow 
still survives. 

Mr. Edinger received his earliest schooling in his native town and, in later 
boyhood and youth, attended the public schools of Los Angeles. He then took 
up and mastered the carpenter's trade and engaged in the contract building busi- 
ness. In 1897 he went to the town of Needles, California, and engaged in the 
business. Needles was then in the infancy of its growth, and during his resi- 
dence there of about eight years, he erected quite all of the principal buildings 
in the city. October 10, 1898, he there married Miss Etheline Keys, a native 
daughter of Illinois. In 1905 he took up his residence at Sawtelle and con- 
tinued in the building business. In February. 1907. in company with William 
Haas, he purchased the planing mill and building business of Snyder & Wer- . 
lenbaker. which business is now conducted under the firm name of Haas & 
Edinger. ]\Ir. Edinger is a Royal Arch Mason and a member of the Fraternal 
Brotherhood, the I. O. O. F., Eastern Star and the Rebeccas. He works and 
votes in the Republican party and was a delegate to the County Convention of 
1908. He is a member of the Sawtelle City Board of Trustees. Mr. and Mrs. 
Edinger have four children — Harold, Claire, Edith and an infant unnamed. 
The familv home is No. 114 Eighth street. 



492 



BIOGRAl'HICAL 



Daniel TuRXMiR, Ocean Park, wSanta Monica, if statements are correct, is 
the pioneer of ])i()neers. He is a native of Georgia and was born on our national 

birthday in 1806 and is, therefore, at 
this writing, (April, 1908) one hundred 
and two years of age. His father 
was a half breed Cherokee Indian and 
his mother a half breed Creek. When 
a small boy the family lived in Lou- 
isiana and his father took part in the 
Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Al- 
though very young, Daniel clearly 
'remembers seeing his father behind 
breastworks of cotton bales giving 
battle with his musket to the enemy. 
Early in life he left the south and 
found employment with the Hudson 
Bay Fur Company in the Northwest 
Territory as a hunter and trapper. 
This strenuous life he followed for 
many years. Later he joined a fur 
hunting expedition for the Arctic re- 
gions. They encountered unexpect- 
ed difficulties and an unusually cold 
and prolonged winter, for which the 
company was inadequately equipped, and only one hundred and fifteen of the 
party lived to return to civilization. By stages Mr. Turner made his way west- 
ward through a trackless wilderness to Astoria, Oregon. Later he enlisted in 
the U. S. Light Artillery and was stationed at Fort Point near San Francisco. 
He served one year, was discharged and re-enlisted in Battery H, Second Califor- 
nia Heavy Artillery under Captain Homestead and served about five years. 
He is now a pensioner of the U. S. Government and draws $24.00 per month. 
Notwithstanding his extreme age, Mr. Turner is as active and healthy as many 
men who consider themselves well at fifty. He reads the daily papers, keeps in 
touch with current events and progress of the country and discusses issues of 
the day with great interest and sound logic. He has always been temperate in 
his habits of living. He has never married. 




DANIEL, TLT.XER. 



Fred J. Finch, well-known business man of Sawtelle, is a native of the 
city of New Albany. Floyd county. Indiana, and was born September 10, 1881. 
His father, (). J. Finch, formerly a wholesale grocer of Trinidad, Colorado, is 
now Chief of Detectives of the citv of New Albanv. His mother, whose maiden 



BIOGRAPHICAL 493: 

name was Emma Flint, is a daug-hter of Mrs. Elvira Flint of Ireland. Duboise 
connty. Indiana. Mr. Flint grew np and attended the public schools of his na- 
tive city meantime, living- at intervals with an uncle. Lawrence I. Finch, known 
as the " Sheep King" of Colorado, and lives at ]\lount Rose, that State. In the 
year 1900 Mr. Finch came to California and to Santa Monica and took a posi- 
tion with A. M. Guidinger, for many years in the undertaking business in that 
city. Mr. Finch held this position for about six years and thoroughly mastered 
the business. In July. LJ07, he engaged in business in Sawtelle on his own 
account and opened the Sawtelle Funeral Parlors. In August, 1908. he formed 
a partnership with :\Ir. Guidinger and purchased the D. L. Allen Livery, Feed 
and Fuel Business, which they now operate. Mr. Finch married December 14. 
1905, Miss Pearle Cody, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Cody of 1220 Lake 
street, (Jcean Park. 

Mr. Finch is an active Republican. He is a member of the Alodern \\'ood- 
men of The Palms, and the Fraternal Brotherhood in Sawtelle. 



Charles C. Towner, lawyer, of Santa Monica, is a native of Randolph. 
Riley county, Kan., and was born November 13, 1870, a son of Charles E. 
Towner, well-known pioneer of Santa Monica. Mr. Towner was educated in 
the public schools of Riley county, passed through the Kansas State Xornnl 
School at Emporia, taught school six years, was Superintendent of Citv Schools 
of Mankato. Kan., entered Kansas State University and graduated therefrom 
in 1898. He then located at Abilene, the county seat of Dickison county, Kan., 
where he practiced law ten years. He served as City Attorney of Abilene two 
}ears and Prosecuting Attorney of Dickison county four years. Mr. Towner 
has a wife, a son. Charles, and daughter. Bertina. He came to California and 
located at Santa Monica in 1908. where as a member of the law firm of Hunter 
& Towner he is practicing his profession. 



L. B. Goodrich, retired. Santa Monica, is a native of Iowa, where he was 
born December 10. 1851. In 1870 he went to State Center. Marshall county. 
* Iowa, and engaged in the grocer}' business. In 1876 he purchased eighty acres 
of land adjoining the town of State Center and engaged successfully in fanning, 
increasing his acreage until his holdings comprise abont one thousand acres. 
September 30. 1875. he married Laura Smith. He became active in local and 
State political affairs and served as member of the Common Council of State 
Center and subsequently was elected and served as Mayor of State Center, and 
as such was active in promoting the industrial interests of his city. He also 
became interested in the Dobbin & W'hitson State Uank of State Center, served 



494 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



on the directorate and as vice-president for a period of about fifteen years. Mr. 
and Mrs. Goodrich have two dan.^lUers. NelHe M., born at State Center 1877, 
and in 1900 married Charles H. Ross, president of the H. W. Ross Lumber 
Comjxmy of MinneapoHs, Minn; Bertha M., wife of Arthur Reynolds, presi- 
dent of the Des Moines National Bank of Des Moines. Iowa. He is one of the 
leading bankers of the country. He is chairman of the National Legislative 
Committee and member of the Currency Commission of the American Bankers' 
Association and is a recognized authority upon the national currency question. 
Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich came to Santa Monica in 1904. The family home is 
at Second street and Nevada avenue. 



Josiv De la Luz Machado is a worthy representative of one of the wealthy 
and influential families of early-day Southern California and a lineal descendant 

of Manuel Machado, a native Span- 
iard, who was a pioneer of early times 
at Santa Barbara and who, for mili- 
tary duty, was by the Spanish gov- 
ernment granted a tract of land, a 
portion of which lies within the 
present confines of the city of Los 
Angeles. Augustine and Ygnacio 
were ambitious sons of Manuel Mach- 
ado, who became the owners of La 
Ballona grant, an extensive and valu- 
able tract of land upon a portion of 
which is now located the towns of 
Playa del Rey, W-nice, Ocean Park 
and Palms. This land was acquired 
under circumstances recited on page 
137 in this work, and which will give 
the reader many facts concerning this 
interesting California family. 

Jose Die la Luz Machado is a son 
of Augustine Machado. His mother 
was, ])y maiden name, Ramona, a daughter of Don Francisco Sepulveda, a 
Spanish soldier, who for his devotion and loyalty as a soldier to the Spanish 
crown, was granted the San Vicente Rancho of several thousand acres of land 
(see page 132 in this book). The city of Santa Monica and a large portion of 
the Soldiers' Home and the city of Sawtelle are on land oris-inallv embraced 




J. D. MACHADO. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 495 

in this grant. The holdings of Augustine Machado in the Ballona grant have 
been shared by the children, eleven in number, and of whom Jose De la Luz 
is the youngest. He was born December 17, 1856, in Los Angeles on South 
Main street, corner of Winston street. He attended Santa Clara College at 
Santa Clara, Cal., and graduated therefrom in the class of 1876, taking the 
degree of Bachelor of Science. He then returned home and has followed agri- 
culture on a portion of the old Ballona grant that came to him by inheritance. 
He has never married and the family household comprises himself, a brother, 
Bernardino, and a younger sister. 



Col. E. K. Chapin, deceased. The late Ephriam K. Chapin was one of 
the well-known pioneers of Santa Monica and was a factor in the business 
growth and development of the town. He was a native of Connecticut and was 
born January 29, 1839. He was, from 1866 to 187-1-, engaged in the mercantile 
business at Coventry, Conn. In 1867 he married Mary Morgan, a daughter of 
James S. Morgan, a silk thread manufacturer of Coventry, her native city, and 
where her father still lives at an advanced age. At Coventry, Conn., Chapin 
commanded a regiment of National State Guards and was otherwise active in 
local public affairs. Mr. Chapin in 1873 came to California and spent a brief 
time at Bakersfield, after which, the following year, he came to Santa Monica, 
which was then in the very infancy of its growth. Mrs. Chapin came in 1878. 
Mr. Chapin with faith and energy engaged with the pioneers in the development 
of a city and was very active in all movements looking to its business and polit- 
ical welfare. For many years he was a leading local grocery merchant. He 
was continuously serving the people of Santa Monica in some public capacity. 
He was Treasurer from the date of the organization of the city to the date of 
his death, which occurred July 6, 1891. ]\Irs. Chapin survives and has ever 
been prominent in the social and civic life of Santa Monica. She has one 
daughter, Mary M.. wife of A. M. Jameson, prominent in the society and club 
life of the city and past president of the Santa ]\Ionica Woman's Club. 

There is one grand-daughter, Mary Muir Jameson, native of Santa Monica. 



P. H. Smith, capitalist and banker of Santa Monica, is a native of Iowa and 
was born at Mount Pleasant. Mav 18th, 1862. His father, Simon Smith, by 
trade and occupation a cabinet maker, was a man of thrift and successful in his 
business. He was a veteran of the Civil War and served throughout the con- 
flict in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry. He married Miss Jane Kelly, a young woman 
of Irish parentage, and of their two daughters and three sons, the subject of 
this sketch is the youngest. He grew up in his native town, passed through 
the local public schools, graduating from the High School. He completed a 



496 BIOGRAPHICAL 

course of study at Howe's Academy, and finished at the Iowa W'eslevan Uni- 
versity. Mount Pleasant. While in college he hecame an active member of the 
IMiia Delta Theta fraternity. He also took s^reat interest in outdoor pastimes 
and became a trained athlete. Upon leaving college Mr. Smith took up civil 
engineering and became attached to the civil-engineering department of the 
Chicago, Ikirlington & Ouincy Railway Company. While following his pro- 
fession he detected an error in the government surveys of land in Northeastern 
Minnesota on the Masaba range, which left unrecorded a tract of land designated 
in land ])ar]ance as no-man's-land. This land Mr. Smith carefullv explored, de- 
cided it to be valuable for its mineral deposits, and filed his claim thereon. His 
rights were vigorously contested in the federal courts by contending interests 
for a period of sixteen years, and finall\- title was confirmed to him. The case 
was found to involve many technicalities and complications of the law relating 
to government lands and has gone on record as one of the most famous in the 
history of land litigation. This land, which has proven to be rich in high-grade 
iron ore, the deposits being almost limitless, is being rapidly developed and is 
already a source of princely income to its worthy owner. Mr. Smith also owns 
a large interest in, and is vice-president of, the Mendota Coal and Coke Com- 
])any of Centralia, Wash. lie also has large and valuable timber holdings in that 
region of country. 

.Mr. Smith came to California and located at Santa ]*kIonica in 1908. \\'ith 
James II. Crigsby and others he acquired the stock of the Merchants' National 
i^)ank of Santa Monica, which institution they have thoroughly reorganized and 
put upon sound financial basis, identifying with them some of the most widely- 
known financiers on the coast, with officers and directors as follows: Tallies H. 
Crigsby, President; P. H. Smith, Vice-President; Ehrman Grigsb}', Cashier; 
F. J. Townsend, Assistant Cashier ; Roy Grigsby. Receiving Teller. The Board 
of Directors are: James II. Grig.sby, Roy Grigsby, P. H. Smith. Marco Hell- 
man, W. II. HolHday, P. R. Stahl, M. Hamburger and Ehrman Grigsby. Mr. 
Smith is a man of broad culture and striking personality. He is possessed of a 
highly artistic nature and owns one of the choicest collections of oil paintings on 
the coast. He is a s]ilendid type of the self-made American citizen, havings 
fought all of his own battles in life unaided and alone, save the sustaining loyalty 
of a wise and lK'l])ful wife. .Mr. Smith married December I4th, 1898, Miss Ger- 
trude, .1 daughter of John Griftin, retired, of Grand Forks, North Dakota. She 
is a lady of social refinement and domestic culture. They have a daughter, Se- 
ville, and a son, P. H. Smith, ]v. 



Stephi<:\ H.\i^r!S T,\I'T. The genealogy of the Taft family in America is 
traced back to a ])eriod between 1670 and 1680, when Robert Taft crossed 
the ocean from England and became a pioneer in Massachusetts. From the- 
Indians he ])urchased a large tract of land in the township of Mendon, which 



BIOGRAPHICAL 497 

title was afterwards recognized as valid Ijy the Colonial government. On the 
Blackstone River, near Uxbridge, he built the first grist mill on that stream, or 
in that part of the colony, in return for which service he was exempted from taxa-. 
tion for a number of years. Of his large family, five were sons, viz: Robert, 
Thomas, Daniel. Joseph and Benjamin, the last named being the progenitor of 
Stephen Harris Taft. 

The Ohio Tafts are descended from the same ancestry, their most distin- 
guished representative in the present generation being Hon. William H. Taft, 
member of President Roosevelt's cabinet and formerly identified with the 
Amerian occupancy of the Philippines. He is the son of Judge Alphonso Taft, 
who was secretary of war and minister to Russia under President Grant's ad- 
ministration. 

In August, 1874, the Taft family celebrated the two hundredth anniversary 
of the coming of their great ancestor to America. Many hundred Tafts and 
descendants of Tafts from all parts of the United States met in Uxbridge, Mass., 
where Judge Alphonzo Taft gave the genealogical address in* the largest church 
of the town, after which a free dinner was served in a spacious tent. 

Nathaniel Taft, the grandfather of Mr. Taft, of the third generation from 
Robert and a descendant of Benjamin, youngest of the five sons, moved from 
Massachusetts to New Hampshire and settled in Richmond. Benjamin and his 
descendants were all Quakers, Nathaniel belonging the the Unitarian branch 
of that denomination, holding the same theological views as those later held by 
the poet, Whittier. 

Among the children of Nathaniel Taft was a son, Stephen, born and reared 
at Richmond, New Hampshire, and throughout active life, a farmer. During 
the early twenties he removed to New York State, where he spent the remainder 
of his life, dying in 1861 at the age of seventy years. Six years later Mr. Taft's 
mother died at the home of her eldest daughter, Mrs. Samuel Hart, at Fulton, 
New Yoik. Mrs. Taft's maiden name was Vienna Hariis, her mother being a 
sister of Hosea Ballou, the distinguished scholar and Universalist divine of 
Massachusetts. Mrs. Taft's mother and President Garfield's mother were cousins. 
Of Mr. Taft's family, four daughters and three sons attained the age of maturity — 
Maranda, deceased; Elizabeth, residing in Oswego County, New York; Vienna 
and Susanna, both deceased; Stephen Harris; Lorenzo P., deceased, for many 
years a minister of the Methodist Episcopal chuich, and Jerome B.. who was a 
Unitarian minister, now deceased. 

Not far from the city of Oswxgo, New York, on the Uth of September, 
182 5, occurred the birth of the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. 
As a boy he attended the common schools and later was a student in an anti- 
slavery Baptist institution, known as New York Central College. 

Mr. Taft's marriage, in 1853, united him with Mary A. Burnham, who was 
born and reared in Madison County, New York, and died in 1897 at Santa Monica, 
California. Mrs. Taft was a woman of superior ability, whose influence for good 
was felt by all with whom she came in contact. She was always an inspiration 

32 



498 BIOGRAPHICAL 

to her husband in his work. Six children were born of the union, namely — 
George, deceased; William J., who is serving his fourth term as District Attorney 
of Humboldt County, Iowa; Fred H., for several years City Attorney of Santa 
Monica; Sydney A., residing in Minneapolis, Minn; Mary V., and Elwin S., 
both deceased. 

Mr. Taft entered the ministry in early life, his last field of labor before 
leaving New York for his western home being in Martinsbury, Lewis County. 
In 1862 he moved to the state of Iowa where he purchased ten sections of land 
in the Upper Des Moines valley, and in the spring of 1863 brought from Lewis 
County, New York, a colony of twelve familes, to the head of each of whom he 
conveyed eighty acres of land at a dollar and a half an acre. The same year 
he laid out the town of Springvale, now Humboldt, organized the Christian 
Union church, now knowm as Unity church, and commenced the building of a 
dam on the Des Moines River, preparatory to the erection of a saw and grist 
mill. Mr. Taft named the streets of the town after distinguished statesmen, 
scholars and generals of that day. He laid out and deeded to the town, two parks, 
John Brown Park, embracing one block and Taft's Park, embracing four blocks, 
setting hundreds of trees upon the latter, which is located in the center of the 
town. He gave two lots for the school house and a lot to each of the churches 
first organized, which were Christian Union and Congregational. 

At the time the town was laid out a majority of the supervisors of the county 
were so dominated by the influence of Dakota City (a rival town located near 
by) that he could get no public road laid out to his mills so he personally took 
the matter in hand, building a culvert in the low lands near the eastern end of 
Sumner Avenue, and grading the same. He then employed the county surveyor 
and staked out a road leading ten miles north to Lots Creek, called the air line 
and also another road to the Lizard River, eighteen miles southwest. Three 
persons owning land along the line of road leading north, taking advantage of 
Mr. Taft's necessity, demanded $100 00 each before giving their consent to the 
opening of the road, which passed along their section line. This Mr. Taft paid 
to avoid the delay wLich would otherwise have been involved. 

Mr. Taft proceeded with the erection of the mills, which involved much labor 
and expense, as all the lumber and machinery had to be transported a long dis- 
tance over almost impassable roads. When completed the event was celebrated 
by an oyster supper, at which hundreds of biscuits, made from the new- ground 
flour, were consumed. Although the mills were indispensable to the building 
of the town and the success of the colony enterprise, Mr. Taft found them an 
expensive luxury, as the spring floods and attendant ice successively carried 
away three dams. Following the loss of the first, in 1867, he excavated a canal 
from the mills to a bend in the river a half mile above the first dam. This re- 
quired an outlay of many thousand dollars which, while a heavy burden to Mr. 
Taft, proved a great blessing to many families residing in Humboldt and neigh- 
boring counties, as the work made necessary provided lal)or for the pioneer settlers. 
Of the food conditions then obtaining and incidents attending the bringing 



BIOGRAPHICAL 499 

in of the last load of flour before recovering control of the water, Mr. Taft says: 
"At this time there were almost no settlers on the vast prairies in North- 
western Iowa. The pioneers who had come in had selected homesteads along 
the streams where they could obtain fuel and material for building their cabins 
and sheds for their stock. No surplus food supplies had been accumulated, so 
the people lived from hand to mouth. They had been accustomed to bring what 
corn and wheat and buckwheat they had raised to my mill, so the loss of the dam 
was of serious import to them to say nothing of the new arrival of settlers who 
were wholly dependent upon others for their bread. The continued rains of 
that season had rendered the roads almost impassable, yet all supplies had to 
be brought by teams from the railroad station. which was a hundred miles away. 
The workmen, who had thus far been furnished with flour and meal to take home , 
to their families on Saturday, knowing how difficult it was for me to obtain the 
necessary food supplies, began to express solicitude regarding the future. Such 
progress had been made in the construction of the new dam and the digging of 
the canal that two weeks more with the force I was then employing would so 
far complete the work that the mill could be set to grinding. The crucial ques- 
tion with me was how to obtain provisions to supply my workmen for two weeks. 
0.1 a Saturday morning, late in November, I went to Fort Dodge. On reaching 
town I found the price of flour to be five dollars a hundred, cash down. I tried 
to negotiate for the purchase of a ton on ninety days' time, but could obtain 
no flour without the money. A hundred dollars would buy the ton of flour so 
much needed and win the victory so essential to all concerned, but I had not had 
five dollars in my pocket for weeks. Learning that Hon. George Bassett had 
Agricultural College funds to loan, I called upon him and learned that a respon- 
sible name with my own upon a note would secure me the money. I went to 
Hon. B. F. Gue, Lieutenant-Governor of Iowa, stated the conditions surrounding 
me, upon which he at once signed the note and, obtaining the money, I purchased 
a ton of flour, which was soon loaded and the team was on its way to Springvale 
while I remained to transact some other business. In about an hour it occurred 
to me that if the flour reached home before I did, none of it would find its way 
to my bin, and I had the largest family of all. I immediately started for home 
driving rapidly. While not able to overtake the load I came in sight of it as 
the teamster was driving up to my residence. That it was seen by the workmen 
at the lower end of the canal was evident and they passed the word along the 
line to the men working on the dam. Spades, crowbars and scrapers were aban- 
doned and the majority of the workmen moved rapidly toward the load. Each 
man on reaching the wagon took a sack of flour. Had I been a few seconds later 
I should not have secured a single sack. As it was, I possessed myself of two of 
the forty sacks. The scene was never to be forgotten by any of those who par- 
ticipated in it. Some were shedding tears of gladness and devoutedly thanking 
God. Others were laughing and telling me they would stick by the work to the 
end, while a son of the Emerald Isle, with his sack of flour in his arms, called 
out : 'Bully for the boss! We knew he wouldn't let us starve.' 



k 



500 BIOGRAPHICAL 

"About two weeks later the waste gate of the dam was closed and the head 
gates of the canal were opened. I had given notice in the town paper a few days- 
prior that on Saturday afternoon the water would be let into the canal, so 
people came from all parts of the county and some from adjoining counties to 
celebrate the important event. The Springvale Brass Band was present and 
enlivened the occasion with music, and short addresses were made. As the gates 
were being hoisted, a Mr. George McCauley called for three cheers for the builder of 
the new dam, which were given most heartily." 

A skiff having been provided and placed below^ the gates, Mr. Taft stepped 
into it and rode the advancing stream as it made its course toward the mill 
while the company, headed by the band, marched down the road on the bank 
of the canal. 

In the autumn of 1869, Mr. Taft visited the east for the purpose of soliciting 
funds with which to establish a college. He laid his plans before leading business 
men and scholars. Among those who approved and gave him aid were Garrett 
Smith, Peter Cooper, George W. Bungay, Dr. Bellows, George W. Curtis, William 
Lloyd Garrison, Wendell PhilHps, Dr. Hale, Dr. James Freeman Clark, Dr. 
Manning, Dr. Dio Lewis, O. O. Woolcut, Mrs. Anna Richmond and Caroline 
Richmond, with many others. His success in obtaining funds was such that 
on returning home he erected a beautiful, substantial building, costing over $40,- 
000, located on the bluff at the head of Garrett Smith Avenue. The building 
was completed and opened for the reception of students in September, 1872. 
The purpose and character of the institution is set forth in the following terms : 

"We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, recognizing the Fatherhood of 
God and the Brotherhood of man, associate ourselves for the purpose of encourag- 
ing liberal education by the establishment and maintainance at Springvale, 
Humboldt County, Iowa, of an institution for the education of youth in liter- 
atuie, science and enlightened Christian morality, without regard to sex, race 
or religious sect. The fundamental object of this association is to establish 
and maintain an educational institution which shall be forever free from sec- 
tarian control." 

The original otficers of the association were Stephen H. Taft, president; 
Ira L. Welch, vice president; John Dickey, treasurer, and J. N. Prouty, secretary. 

Of the institution, Wendell Phillips once wrote: "I take a deep interest 
in Humboldt College, believing that it sustains an important relation to the poli- 
tical, moral and religious welfare of a large section of our common country."' 
And Rev. Edward Everett Hale said in a letter to Dr. Furness, of Philadelphia, 
introducing Mr. Taft; "I thoroughly endorse the educational enterprise 
represented by my friend. Rev. S. H. Taft, of Iowa." 

For three years students were admitted to all the privileges of the school 
without tuition, which enabled a large number to attend who were altogether 
incapable of paying tuition. On the occasion of the laying of the corner stone 
the principal address was delivered by Hon. C. C. Cole, Chief Justice of Iowa. 
Many years after this, when Mr. Taft was about to leave Iowa, to make his home 



BIOGRAPHICAL 501 

in California, President Peterson asked him for a life-sized portrait for the college. 
When the presentation was made, President Peterson asked him to write beneath 
the picture some motto or sentiment, which Mr. Taft at first declined to do but, 
finally yielding to the request, wrote underneath the hkeness: "I would be 
remembered for the good I sought to do." This portrait hangs in the college 
library. 

Mr. Taft has been constantly engaged in reformatory work since retiring 
from the ministerial field and is, at the present time, by speech, pen and money, 
seeking to advance the cause of righteous civil government. His views on the 
power of the ballot for good or evil are fitly expressed in his address delivered 
before the graduating class of Humboldt College, July 13th, 1906, from which 
we quote as follows : 

"There is today no other work half so important to the welfare of our country 
or of mankind, as the redemption of our government from the control of the 
representatives of commercial brigandage and murderous greed and bringing it 
back into harmony with the purpose for which it was founded, to-wit : to establish 
justice, promote the public welfare and secure the blessing of liberty to all. 
The present dangerous state of moral confiision, commercial and political cor- 
ruption, could never have obtained but for the thoughtless and corrupt use of 
the ballot ; and by no other instrumentality can this nation be saved from certain 
destruction but by the ballot thoughtfully, conscientiously cast. And in this 
work of saving ths natio.i with the ballot, we need women's help, and but for the 
malign influence of the saloon she would have been enfranchised long ago. The 
b)allot is the one distinguishing insignia of American citizenship, giving added 
value to all other privileges. It is the paladium of American liberty. It is the 
-V in the equation, equalling the sum of all other forces, making for righteous 
•civil government and safe-guarding human rights. The intelligent, conscienti- 
ous ballot is to the state what the holy spirit is to the church, its cementing, 
energizing power; while the ignorant, vicious ballot is to the state what a con- 
tentious, selfish spirit is to a church — a disintegrating, destructive force. Wash- 
ington said that if the Republic ever perished it would be at the hands of its own 
citizens. "If our nation goes down to destruction the contemporaneous historian 
will probably say that its ruin was wrought by avarice, drunkenness and licen- 
tiousness, but the later historian looking from a higher vantage ground of ob- 
servation will say that the great American republic was overthrown by ignorant 
and vicious ballots by which were created environment fostering avarice, drunk- 
enness and licentiousness, so that social order and justice were overborne bv in- 
justice and anarchy. 

"We very properly honor the soldier who defends the country with his gun, 
but the gun is a negative force. It can kill the enemy but cannot build up the 
state, while the ballot is a positive, constructive force. By it the fotmdations 
of the state were laid and by it the Temple of Liberty is builded and must be 
defended. The thoughtless, vicious citizen, with his ballot, is a hundred fold 
more dangerous to his countrv than a thoughtless, vicious soldier with his gun; 



502 BIOGRAPHICAL 

for the worst the latter can do is to slay some of his comrades, but the traitorous 
voter undermines the foundation of the state and despoils the Temple of Liberty." 

Mr. Taft took an active part in the discussion of ]jolitical and moral questions 
claiming public attention preceding and during the War of the Rebellion. Several 
of his addresses were published. One of them, entitled "The Crisis," awakened 
deep interest. This address was given before the Proclamation of Freedom 
was issued, at a time when fugitive slaves seeking freedom in our military camps 
were driven back to bondage by command of many of our generals. This address 
concluded with the following appeal to President Lincoln to end the Rebellion 
by removing its cause — by overthrowing slavery : 

"If a voice of one as humble as I could reach the ear of President Lincoln, 
I would remind him that the destinies of an empire more coUossal in proportions 
than Alexander or Caesar ever dreamed of are committed to his keeping; that 
he holds in his hand the helm of the grandest ship of state that ever set sail on 
the billows of time and that it rests with him (under God) whether it shall founder 
and go down before the wild storm of treason and rebellion which has burst upon 
it, or sail gloriously on through the ages. I would remind him that the destinies 
for weal or woe of millions living and hundreds of millions yet to come, hang 
trembling in the scale which he holds in his hand — that he is about to call down 
upon himself the blessings or curses of generations yet unborn. I would remind 
him that there is given to him opportunity and power to serve the cause of 
liberty and humanity, such as is given to mortals but once in the lapse of ages. 
I would tell him of the Angel of Justice (which commissioned from God's right 
hand) is now bending over Columbia's fair land, who holds in one hand a pen 
dipped in the Stygian pool and in the other a golden crown; and I would tell 
him that if smothering the just and generous impulses of his great soul, he shall 
falter and prove unworthy of the sacred trust committed to his keeping, then 
with tears (while the heavens shall be clothed in sack-cloth) shall the Angel 
write upon his brow in characters of burning shame : 'Menc, mene tekcl, upharsiii; ' 
but if, heeding the voice of his conscience and his God, he shall worthily serve 
the ages and the race, then shall the Angel, stooping low, place upon his brow 
Liberty's crown of unfading glory while Earth and Heaven shall resound with 
praise. My friends, let us pray for President Lincoln." 

Among Mr. Taft's public addresses, his sermon on the character and death 
of John Brown, delivered immediately after his execution in December, 1859, 
ranks among the most important. It was delivered before his church in Martins- 
burg, New York, to a congregation that filled it to its utmost capacity. In 
compliance with the wishes of a very few radical abolitionists, the discourse 
was published in pamphlet form. It received favorable notice in the New York 
Jndcpcudcut and some other anti-slavery journals. Hon. Garrett Smith and 
Rev. Dr. Cheever wrote to the author expressing hearty approval of the same. 
During the war many applications were made by letter for the sermon, so that 
the edition was exhausted. Rev. Dr. Morrison of Boston, when visiting at 
Mr. Taft's, on reading the sermon requested him to send a copy of it to Mr. John 



BIOGRAPHICAL 503 

Forbes, of Boston, an old time friend of John Brown. When told by Mr Taft 
that It was his last copy, he requested that it be sent to him, to be returned after 
he had read it. Mr. Taft sent the discourse and when returned by Mr Forbes 
there came with it a check for a thousand dollars for his college work Mr 
John M. Williams, of New York, also had the copy to read and on returnina it 
sent the lollowing letter: * 

Metro POLiTAX Natioxal Baxk 
Kev. S. H.Taft: New York, February 12th 187^ 

My Dear Sir:— ' ' -■ 

I send herewith the John Brown sermon. Accept our thanks for the privi- 
lege of seeing what you said in those troublous times of the Civil War of the 
scenes of deep interest then transpiring. A friend, seeing it on my desk "wished 
It to send abroad to a friend of Lord Byron. I told him it was your last copy 
and he said his friend residing in England had a portrait of John Brown was a 
great admirer of his, for which reason he wished to send him this sermon He 
has given me a check for a hundred dollars (which I enclose) and in leturn wish 
a copy of the sermon if it can be obtained. 

(Signed) J. E. Williams. 

Mr. Taft also received the following letter from Rev. Dr. Morrison, by whose 
request he had sent the sermon to Mr. Forbes: 

Rev. S. H. Tai-t: Milton, Mass., March 18th, 1872 

My Dear Sir: — 

I am glad that you are to have a new edition of your John Brown sermon 
published. I can easily understand the feelings of the New York gentleman 
who sent you one hundred dollars for the last copy you had of the old edition 
It seems to me, considering the time and circumstances under which it was de- 
livered, a remarkable production; one of those mysterious, prophetic utterances 
made under the impulse of a higher spirit than man's, which preceded the down- 
fall of slavery. The way in which John Brown's name and acts apparently so 
insignificant in themselves, connected themselves with the uprising of a great 
nation against terrible wrong, his soul marching on. the animating spirit of more 
than a million armed men, would be thought fabulous and incredible, if such an 
event had been narrated as belonging to the early history of Palestine or Rome. 
I thank you for doing something to refresh our memories by bringing before us 
again so vividly the image of one whose name has been identified with the greatest 
movement of our age. 

(vSismed) Joiix H. Morrison. 
The following was Mr. Taft's text for the sermon. He said: 
"My text, my friends, today is John Brown. You will find it recorded in 

all the public lournals of the land and it will yet be inscribed in bold characters 

on the record of the world's history." 

The conclusion of the discourse was as follows: 



504 BIOGRAPHICAL 

"The once ncjl)le form of the departed hero and Christian patriot sleeps 
sweetly in the silent tomb. But his soul has gone to that land where the bond- 
man is free from the master and where the voice of lamentation gives place to 
the song of praise. Aye, he has gone where the outgoing of his great and loving 
heart brings not peril but increased joy ; where every generous and loving impulse 
finds a response in the bosom of all, who tread with him the fields of everlasting 
life and immortal beauty. Let us rejoice not only that "man cannot imprison 
or chain or hang the soul," but that he cannot blot from the record of history 
the testimony of the brave and good against wrong; for then would the death 
of John Brown be an irreparable loss to humanity. But now shall his speech 
before the court, his letters written in prison, and the record of his heroic, his 
sublime death, be handed down as a choice legacy to our children. He shall 
indeed be a favorite of history, aye more, poets shall perform pilgrimages to 
the place of his tragic death to catch the inspiration which breathes aiieic on 
the banks of tJie Potomac, that they may tune to sweeter and loftier strains 
of the lyre of liberty. But we may not on the present occasion longer hold 
converse with Pl-cedoiii's chosen martyr. Ere we bid him adieu, let us in the pres- 
ence of the great and imperial Father of all breathe the solemn vow that what- 
ever may betide us, we will 'remember those in bonds as bound with them,' 
remembering that 

Whether on the scaffold Jiii^h 

Or in the battle's van. 
The fittest place for man to die 
Is -a'here he dies for man . ' ' 

In August, 1874, the Taft family, many hundred in number, celebrated 
the two hundredth anniversary of the coming to America of their great progenitor, 
Robert Taft. The meeting was held at Uxbridge, Massachusetts, and represen- 
tatives of the family were present from many states of the Union. The morning 
service was held in the Congregational church and the genealogical address 
given by Judge Alphonso Taft, of Cincinnati, Ohio, after which all marched to 
the music of the American Brass Band to a spacious tent where dinner was served, 
music discoursed, and toasts given and responded to. Hymns written by Rev. 
E. Staples and Judge Chapin, whose mothers were Tafts, were sung on the occa- 
sion. Judge Chapin read a biographical historic poem, after which the presiding 
officer proposed the several toasts. Of those responding to the toasts were 
Lieutenant-Governor Taft, of Vermont ; Dr. Jonathan Taft, of Cincinnati ; Rev. Dr. 
Hatfield, and many others. The subject of this sketch being called upon respond- 
ed to the following toast: "The educators of our country are entitled to the 
front rank in the march of progress and it is with commendable pride that we 
introduce as one of the best. Prof. S. H. Taft, President of Humboldt College, 
Iowa." Mr. Taft said: 

"Mr. Chairman and Kindred: It is not difficult to conceive of circum- 
stances where it would be both profitable and pleasant in responding to the 



BIOGRAPHICAL 505 

r.",, h,„ „ .„, ,„,„ ...i,. Jofr, ".,: ,£r.:s.' " i!™ t'" 

may be also too little account made of it Til tl. f ''""''' '^''" 

rr-;, • f r- J. ^^JLiiii, inaaeont. -I he ties of consanmiimtv ar^ of natiirp'«; 

givmg, of God's appointment, and were designed not only to ,'eld inn cen 
enjoyment but also to conduce to helpful social progressed n o al "h 
Th re are stages of development (or states of moral debauchery rath r) in the 
h,s cry of society where such a gathermg as this might prove a curse in tead,f 
ab e smgby bemgso used as to dim the moral and spfritual vision of ts member 

distinguished relative, of Ohio judae Alnhonso T«ft t I ^"'''' f "^ ""^ 

rlp..«ir^^ ( -1 \ ■ Ji^^ifet .Aipnonso i alt. to round out and further 

develop our tam.ly tree. In reporting to this meeting regarding the Taf s o 
whom I have knowledge, I have to say that they are industrious ta'llwr.h J 
« tzens and were all loyal to the go^^ernment durmg our late a^F W r , 
rehgton they are Protestants of the Protestants, not only denyin. the re, .,ou 
authon y of coundls or the Pope, but also denying the lutho itv°o any cCe 
Snce ' '° '"'^'^ '"' ""■ '""'""™' ■" '-""^ °< belirf. fa.th'or con- 

of the^/'"?'f r"' ""T "'" ^' "">• """'' '■'" 'h-^ ■■<^-»" <"-• "»' knowledge 

lecturt n Boston bV^ T"' ' """'"'" ''"' ^^^^^ ™- c^nmencedl 
T. A A , ^ ^^^^^^ '^y'"«^ '^'"^''''' ^"d Gentlemen: We are all 

descended from— we are all descended from— grandparents. ' Well ha 

back' » I VaT, • Tf '^^ 'l"■'^— ' 'hat the line e'xtended mu^furt e 
back. If I had heretofore entertamed any doubts on that point.what I see and 

■Jettle'dt XrH ^T'^^^rT' "^-- »'y S-ndfatLr. Nath n , Taft 
settled m New Hampshire m the latter part of the eighteenth century where he 
resided until his death. He had a number of childrem Amon. the names thev 
3,ore were David, Daniel, Nathaniel, Rufus and Stephen, the fast n.™" be^. 



505 BIOGRAPHICAL 

my father. His mother was grandfather's second wife. My father and his 
brother David left New Hampshire in the early part of the present century 
and settled in Richfield, Otsego County, New York, whence my father soon 
moved a hundred miles further west into Oswego County. Uncle David had a 
nutnber of sons, two of whom, Ferdinand and Nathaniel, also moved into Oswego 
County. 

My father married Miss Vienna Harris, whose father, Stephen Harris, 
lived and died in Richmond, New^ Hampshire. My parents had seven children 
who lived to years of maturity, four girls and three boys, all but one of whom are 
still living. One of my brothers, Jerome B. Taft, who took an active part in 
protecting Kansas from the curse of slavery, died in the autumn of 1863. 

In 1853 I married Miss Mary A. Burnham, of Madison County, New York, 
and in the spring of 1863 went west with a colony of over forty persons and 
settled upon a tract of land in the Des Moines Valley, which I purchased of the 
State of Iowa. Here I have since been at work, building up a town and estab- 
lishing an institution of learning. We have had six children, five of whom are 
still living, namely, four sons and one daughter. My brother, Lorenzo P. Taft, 
has a family of four daughters and one son, and the brother who died left one 
son, Wendell Phillips Taft. My four sisters are married and all have families. 

I trust I shall be pardoned if, in this connection, I speak of some incidents 
in my own history which, under ordinary circumstances, would hardly be appro- 
priate, but which the present occasion would warrant. We learn from the ad- 
mirable historic address to which we have listened this morning that our great 
progenitor, Robert Taft, was an active participant in a colony enterprise, in 
connection with which he bought and sold much land, built bridges, made roads 
and bore other burdens incident to a pioneer life. It seems that all unbeknown to 
myself I have in the order of divine providence been repeating the history of our 
family in the line of colony work for, as already remarked, I took with me to the 
distant west a company of friends, bought a large tract of wild land and entered 
upon the work of building up society, in tlie course of which it fell to my lot to 
open up roads, build bridges and mills and dispose of numerous pieces of real 
estate. The county records show that I have sold over eighty farms and many 
hundred pieces of town property since commencing this colony enterprise. 
This work has not been all sunshine and prosperity; but instead, want of means 
with which to do, loss by floods, sickness, severe trials and exposure, have dimmed 
the light of many a day, but at no titne have I been bereft of that hope and strength 
which comes of an assurance that I was doing the work to which I had been ap- 
pointed of God. The burden would have been lighter had I known as I now do 
that like and severer experiences had been the lot of our great progenitor, whose 
memory we so sacredly cherish today. The family histoty which I have given, 
taken in connection with the numerous descendants of Robert Taft here assem- 
bled, who represent a still larger number not here, warrants us in congratulating 
ourselves that our family does not belong to the number which are running out 
because of self-imposed sterility. That this is true of many families is painfully 



BIOGRAPHICAL 507 

evident. On this subject an able scholar and caieful observer, Dr. Nathan Allen, 
of Lowell, said in an address delivered in June last, before the Massachusetts 
Medical Society: 'It is safe, we believe, to state that the average number of 
children to each marriage has diminished nearly one-half since the present century 
commenced.' And he further adds, 'If this decrease is continued another hun- 
dred years in the same proportion as in the past it will, in all probability, remove 
the old New England stock from the stage. Their record will exist only in his- 
tory. In this quiet, gradual decline of population is one of the greatest problems 
of the age.' 

Well, Mr. Chairman, that impeachment does not apply to the Taft family, 
and I am glad of it. I am told that little or no credit is due to the male line in 
which the name descends, since the mothers generally bore other names than 
Taft. And then I submit to you, Mr. Chairman, whether it is not creditable 
to our side of the house, that we have been able to select and possess ourselves 
of such good and noble wives. 

I will add but a few words more. The growth of our family tree has been 
hopefully vigorous and promises well for the future. We need not concern 
ourselves to try to settle the question as to whether we originally ascended from 
the lower forms of animal life or have descended from a state of angelic \ erfection ; 
for, if from the former, then have we made noble progress upward, and if from 
the latter, the evidence warrants us in believing that we are making out way 
home again. Let us remember that there is given to mankind a surplus of vital 
force beyond what is necessary for the performance of the ordinary functions of 
life and that the use made of this surplusage detei mines the destiny of individuals, 
families and nations. If devoted to self discipline, in knowledge and virtue, 
so as to find expression in noble, helpful acts and high aims, then does its possessor 
walk the pathway of the just which grows brighter and brighter unto the perfect 
day; but if devoted to selfish ends and merely animal pleasures, then does it 
lead down to moral corruption and spiritual death. May it be ours to come into 
such harmony with the divine order and such virtuous relationship with each 
other that the spiritual breezes of heaven as they move through the branches of 
the family tree may make still sweeter music in the future than in the past, 
thus making glad the hearts of men and angels. I offer in conclusion the follow- 
ing sentiment : 

Our Family Tree — Removed from Old Ei!i:,hnid iieo Jiinidred years ai^o and 
planted at no i^reat distanee from Plymouth Rock. May it continue to i^ather strength 
and beauty from each succeeding century and yield such fruits of vigorous, virtuous 
man. and wonmnJiood that the af>probation of the good and the favor of Heaven may 
ever rest upon it, causing it to extend its roots and multiply its braiwhes through 
all coming time. 

In 1879, on the resignation of Rev. Julius Stevens as pastor of the Christian 
Union Church of Humboldt, Mr. Taft was asked to resume his pastoral relations 
with the church, which he resigned when entering upon his educational work. 
Up to this time the society had held its meetings in the school house. Mr. Taft 



508 BIOGRAPHICAL 

agreed to serve the church for a year on conchtion that steps be at once taken 
to build a house of worship, toward the expense of which he would contribute 
the salary he received for the year and donate a lot for the church. With this 
understanding he resumed the pastorate. While the attendance at the meetings 
and Sunday School was altogether satisfactory but partial i)rogress was made 
toward building. The coarse lumber was bought and placed on the ground, as 
also most of the stone for the foundation. As Mr. Taft believed that a house 
of worship was indispensable to the welfare and future growth of the church, 
he agreed to labor another year, donating his salaiy as before. The coursing 
stone for the foundation having been dressed and mechanics' labor being difficult 
to obtain, and money scarce, Mr. Taft, with his son, William, as mason tender, 
took in hand the building of the foundation walls, which were completed before 
cold weather in autumn. The secretary of the church, J. M. Prouty, had pro- 
cured plans and specifications for the building from a Chicago architect and, 
with these before him, Mr. Taft proceeded to lay out the frame work of the build- 
ing and superintend its erection. The church was completed and dedicated as 
had been planned and Mr. Taft says : "The day on which the house was dedicated 
and christened Unity Church, and Miss Mary A. Safford was installed pastor, 
as his successor, was one of the happiest days of his life." 

Mr. Taft's work as an abolitionist and a prohibitionist and a founder of an 
institution of learning, has given him the personal acquaintance of many of the 
distinguished men and women of the past and present century ; among them were 
Garrison, Phillips, Sumner, Longfellow, James Freeman Clark, Edward Everett 
Hale, Dr. Manning, Senator Wilson, Joshua R. Giddings, A. Bronson Alcott, 
Fred Douglass, Garrett Smith, George W. Curtis, Mrs. Lucy Stone Blackwell, 
Antoinette L. Brown, ]\lary Livermore, Dorothy Dix, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. 
Anthony and Julia Ward Howe. Of the above he has entertained as guests at 
his home, A. Bronson Alcott, Garrett Smith, Fred Douglass, Mrs. Livermore, 
Lucy Stone Blackwell, Antoinette L. Brown, Julia Ward Howe and Susan B. 
Anthony. 

Mr. Taft regards the establishment of righteous civil government as indis- 
pensable to the preservation of our nation from destruction, holding that the 
licensed poison drink traffic, so far from being a legitimate business, is a system 
of legalized robbery and murder and that the political parties, which for a money 
consideration give legislative sanction to the saloon, betray their sacred trust 
as administrators of the government, violate the national constitution by bar- 
gaining away the public health and the public morals, and that by such alliance 
with the criminal class, make the government the despoiler instead of the pro- 
tector of its citizens, thereby not only discrowning the government of all moral 
power but making it a potential teacher of immorality and graft. And that 
the corrupt financial, political and social conditions everywhere obtaining 
where this traffic of death is licensed, are but the legitimate harvest from the seed 
sown by these rum-ruled parties and that the preservation of Christian civilization 
demands the triumph of a political party pledged to righteous civil government. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SO*." 

Mr. Taft is a total abstainer from the use of intoxicants, eats very little 
meat, drinks neither tea nor coffee, reads without glasses, never uses a cane when 
walking. He is an early riser, writes more easily in the morning than at any other 
time, is always busy either in his office, library or garden, and takes as deep an 
interest as ever in social, political and religious questions. 



John G. French, one of the active men in the upbuilding of \'enice, was 
born in Miami county, Ohio, October 22, 1855, son of Asa D. and Ruth E. 
French. The family moved to White county. Indiana, where he grew up on a 
farm devoted to stockraising. At the age of 17 years he became a school teacher. 
His health becoming impaired, he left home in the fall of 1875 for Harvev 
county, Kansas, and after teaching a year, engaged in the stock and grain ship- 
ping business. In 1882 he associated himself with the wholesale grain and com- 
mission business at Atchison, Kansas ; later he engaged in the wholesale grocerv 
business, and while thus engaged became largely interested in real estate in 
Central Kansas. Retiring from the grocery trade 1888, he engaged in real estate 
and general mercantile business in Harvey and Pratt counties, Kansas. In 1891 
he moved with his family to California, where he became a manufacturers' agent, 
with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1898 he became associated 
with the Wm. H. Hoegee Co. of Los Angeles, founding their wholesale business, 
which he managed. In January, 1905, he became the manager of the Abl30t 
Kinney Co. in the selling of Venice property and overseeing the building of Ven- 
ice of America. Many of the unique, special features of the famous place are 
the result of his eft'orts. Upon the organization of the ( )cean Park city school 
district, in 1904, he was elected a member of the Board, which position he still 
retains as president and clerk. Being active and energetic in the school work 
as well as having advanced ideas, he has been a factor in making the school one 
of the best in the country. He has been an advocate of the unification of the 
Santa Monica Bav interests, and had his ideas prevailed much more would have 
been accomplished. Politically Mr. French has been a lifelong Republican, fra- 
ternally a Knight of Pvthias. 



Pedro M. B.^dillo, a member of one of tlie early California families, is a 
son of Pedro P. Badillo. born in Los Angeles. February 24th. 1868. Pedro P. 
Badillo was a son of Francisco, a native of Madrid, who came to California in 
1812 and was granted a large tract of land as a reward for valuable military 
services rendered the Spanish government. He lived at Santa Barbara, where 
he married Peralta Garcia, a native of that ]:)lace. They had two children — a 
son. Pedro P.. and a daughter. Tomasa, who for many years lived in Los An- 
geles, where she died in 1874. After the father's death the son came into pns- 



510 BIOGRAPHICAL 

session of valual)lc lands in Santa i'>arl)ara connty and of other holdings in Lower 
Californii. lie ninrried Miss jane Courtney, a native of California, daug'hter of 
Andrew Courtnew and granddaughter of Miehael Wdiite, one of the best-known 
American pioneers. 

Pedro Padillo grew up in Los Angeles, and iri 1892 married Delfina En- 
riquez. Since 1893 he has been in the secret service of the United States customs 
department of Southern California. In 1894 he distinguished himself bv the 
detection and capture of three Americans, who were expert smugglers, and sev- 
enty-four pounds of o]iium smuggled into this country on the Malibu coast. The 
men were tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary. Mr. Badillo is widely 
known, and highly esteemed for his kindness of heart and strict integrity. He 
has two sons, Louis and Pedro. The family home is in Santa Monica Canon. 



Jas. W. Kennedy, one of the prosperous and substantial merchants of Santa 
Monica, was born in Cleveland, O., December 17th, 1869, son of James Kennedy, 
a native of Canada. The family lived in the vicinity of Cleveland until 1884, 
when they came to Santa Monica. Here he clerked in the general store of M. 
E. Chapin about seven years. He later went to White River, Ariz., wdiere, under 
the firm name of Schuster & Kennedy, he did a profitable business for six years. 
He returned to Santa Monica in 1905, and in 1906 purchased the business of A. 
Mooser, corner Third and Utah. The stock comprises a complete line of cloth- 
ing and furnishing goods. 



W. ]\I. Kendall, M. D., was born in Leavenworth, Crawford county, In- 
diana, December 25th, 1869. His father, William H. Kendall, was a druggist 
of that city and a native of the same State. The Kendall family are of English 
ancestry, many members of which have attained prominence in the dramatic world 
as actors in this country and in Europe. 

The father died in 1882 and the widow and three children removed to Cin- 
cinnati, r)hio. Here Dr. Kendall took a high-school course and a course in med- 
icine at Pulte Medical College, Cincinnati, graduating in 1892. Later he took a 
special course in surgery and post-graduate course in orificial surgery at Chicago 
Homeopathic Medical College. Dr. Kendall commenced the practice of his pro- 
fession in Cincinnati. He remained there three years, then removed to Dayton, 
Ohio. In August, 1905, he came to California and located at Ocean Park, where 
he has acquired an extensive practice. He is member of the California State 
Homeopathic Medical Society and the Los Angeles County Aledical Society ; 
local surgeon for the L. A. & P. Ry., and health officer of the city of Ocean 
Park. He is a Mason, and member of the B. P. O. E. At the school election, 
1908, he was, without oi)])osition, elected a member of the IJoard of School Trus- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 511 

tees. Dr. Kendall married, November 22nd, 1892, Miss Jessie Todhunter, 
danghter of W. H. Todhunter, a prominent attorney of Middleton, Ohio. They 
have two children, Marcus T. and Marion G. Dr. Kendall's home and office 
IS at No. 207-20/1/^ Ocean Front, Ocean Park. 



John J. PevelEr. resident of California since 1882. is a native of Illinois 
born in the city of Chicago, January 12th, 1859. His father, George W. Pev- 
eler, was a farmer. He joined the United States Armv as a volunteer in the 
Rebellion, went to the front and was killed at the battle of Antietam, September 
17th, 1862, leaving a widow and an only child, the subject of this sketch. 
Young Reveler spent his youth in Chicago, attended the public schools and 
learned the carpenter trade, and later the cement contracting business. In 1896 
Mr. Reveler went to Alaska, where he spent five years and passed through all 
the excitement and experienced the hardships of the gold seekers of Nome and 
Dawson. He returned to California in 1901, and for several years had charge 
of numerous jobs of construction cement work for the Los Angeles-Racific Rail- 
way Company. xAIr. Reveler married, in 1904, Miss Theresa Langam, a native 
of Litchfield, Minnesota. They have one daughter, Virginia C." The family 
residence is at the corner of Ninth street and Nevada avenue, Santa Monica. 



W. S. Smith was born in San Antonio, Texas, March 11, 1879, son of lohn 
A. Smith, by birth a Rennsylvanian. In 1884 the family removed to Arizona, 
and later to San Diego, and finally to San Fernando. Dr. Smith here spent his 
youth, passed through the San Fernando High School, graduating in 1895. He 
took a course of study at the University of Southern California, graduating from 
the department of medicine in 1902. He was two years assistant physician at 
the Los Angeles County Hospital under Dr. Bryant. He then practiced medi- 
cine at Rhoenix, Arizona. He held the office of County Rhysician of Yavapi 
county, was member of the Territorial Board of Examiners of the Insane, and 
two years Superintendent of the County Hospital. 

He was one of the organizers of the Yavapi County ^Medical Society and 
its first president. He came to Santa Monica in 1905, and has a wide circle of 
friends and lucrative practice, being a member of the medical staff of the Santa 
Monica Bay Hospital. He married. June 15th, 1903, Mabel, daughter of I. S. 
Wilson, a pioneer and retired merchant of Santa ]\Ionica. 



Robert Alexander Phillips, foremost citizen and merchant of \'enice, is 
a native of Allegheny count}-, Pennsylvania, born July 7th, 1860, son of Robert 
Phillips, a thrifty farmer, and Eliza Mackay Phillips, both natives of Belfast, 
Ireland, who came to America in childhood. Mr. Phillips grew up on the home 



512 BIOGRAPHICAL 

farm. He passed tlirouoh the public schools, and the Western University of 
Pennsylvania, graduating- in 1879. From 1882 to 1900 he engaged in the produce 
commission business in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He made a tour of the West 
and California in 1902, and in 1905 was one of the early investors in A'enice. 
With Dr. Sands he founded the Venice Drug Co. (Inc.). He married, in 1882, 
Ella M., a daughter of John Burgess, a retired merchant of Pittsburg, and they 
have three children — Aileen, Lillian and Floyd. He is a leading member of the 
Chamber of Commerce, and active in the promotion of the best interests of Venice. 



C. C. CiiKxEv, pioneer, crossed the plains as a boy with his father's family, 
driving an ox team. They located in Lake county, engaged in stock raising, 
later removed to San Luis Obispo county, and finall\- settled at Downey, in Los 
Angeles county, where he spent his youth and studied veterinary surgery, be- 
coming an expert practitioner. He went to Arizona and engaged in mining. 
In 1890 he located in the Garapatos, Malibu mountains, where he has developed 
a valuable ranch property, which as a summer resort is very popular with the 
peo])le of Santa Monica, Los Angeles and surrounding country. Mr. Cheney 
married, in 1885, Miss Lucy J., daughter of J. H. Stewart, one of the first set- 
tlers of the city of Downey. She was born in Salem, Oregon. Mr. Cheney is 
a public-spirited and enterprising citizen and a member of the Elks" lodge at 
Santa Monica. 



Mrs. Jose Dolores SepulvEda, widow of the late Don Jose Dolores Sepul- 
veda. was born in Los Angeles in 1840, and is the only surviving daughter of 
Johann Gronigen, a native of Holland, who came to America as a ship car- 
penter on the brig "Danube," which was wrecked off the coast of San Pedro in 
1829, he being one of the few survivors. He settled in Los Angeles and by 
reason of his arrival in town on Sunday and the difficult pronunciation of his 
German name, the natives called him Juan Domingo, the English of which is 
John Sunday, and he abandoned thereafter the use of his family name. He 
became a man of property and influence, with a fine home at the corner of Aliso 
and xA.lameda streets, where he lived until his death, December 18th, 1858, leav- 
ing a large family and a comfortable estate. He married Ramona Teleliz, a 
member of one of the influential and wealthy families of Southern California. 
Jose Dolores Sepulveda was born in Los Angeles April 2nd, 1827, a son of Don 
Francisco Sepulveda, mention of whom is made on page 132 in this work. 
There are eight children of Don Jose Dolores and Louise Domingo Sepulveda 
living, all in Los Angeles, viz., W. O. Sepulveda; Ascencion, who is Mrs. Frank 
Bernal ; Miguel; Louise, who is Mrs. Reyes; Plutarch; Angelina, Mrs. Mark 
Burns; X'ictoria, Mrs. George Farrington, and Griselda, Mrs. Charles Earley. 
There are thirteen grand-children. 



